NineYearOld Boy
by TSRowenwood
Summary: When Robin leaves for an anniversary, the team is left alone with only Raven knowing why he left. That is, until a man comes knocking at their door. And what's really strange is, the boy he's holding bares BIG resemblances to Robin.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Guys, I have to leave," Robin announced as Raven sat down with the others.

"Why, man?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah," Beast Boy continued, "You promised we could have a tournament to see who the best gamer tomorrow is! No fair calling it off!"

"BB, if you are implying I'm leaving because of a game, you're way wrong," Robin said.

"Then why, friend Robin?" Starfire asked. "Have we upset you?"

"No! It's nothing like that, it's just…" he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I need to spend time with my family because…. of an anniversary."

"But couldn't you celebrate here Robin?" Starfire started cheerfully. "We could prepare-"

Robin cut her off. "Under different circumstances, that would be a great idea Star, but my family... is otherwise engaged."

"Is it," a tentative voice spoke, and besides Robin, everyone was surprised to find it was Raven. She continued just as softly, "_That _anniversary?"

Robin stared at her, then asked, "This one?" Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were beyond confused when Robin started moving his hands above the couch, swinging and twisting his fingers and wrists. Then, suddenly, he slammed them on the part of the couch where the fabric was most worn, earning a dull THUD.

Robin looked at Raven expectantly, and she nodded instead of speaking. "Yes, it is that anniversary. In two days," The Boy Wonder whispered.

"Dude, what was that hand twisty thingy?" Beast Boy waved a hand and wiggled his fingers as if to prove a point. Cyborg expanded on Beast Boy's thought.

"And how did you bend your hands like that? It looked like you were going to break something."

Robin looked up and grinned. "What can I say? I was born with several double jointed fingers. And that was Raven Talk. When she went through my mind, she saw some… personal memories that we have agreed not to EVER talk about again. Not until I'm ready to tell the rest of you," He turned to exit the room, then stopped. "Oh, and two more things. One: You are not to press Raven for details, and two: please don't go through my closet again."

The rest of the Titans flushed in embarrassment. Robin smirked at the reaction calling as he left, "I'll be back in three days, four tops!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Later that night, Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a video game, Raven was trying to read/trying not to kill them, and Starfire was feeding Silkie. Then, something pounded on the door leading out onto the roof.

"I wonder who it is. Perhaps friend Robin has come back?" Starfire spoke with much enthusiasm.

"Or it could be the monster from that movie we watched last night!" Beast Boy morphed into a turtle and tucked himself into the shell.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's the monster," Raven deadpanned. "Because it suddenly came into existence and started knocking on doors."

"Yeah fuzz brain," Cyborg said, "Besides, that monster breaks down doors ," Raven face-palmed.

The pounding continued, getting louder. "Everyone stay quiet," Starfire cautioned, "If not friend Robin, it could be a fearsome glorbloon."

A muffled cry came through the metal, "Please Titans! This boy is injured and I don't know what to do!"

Without any thought at all Raven glided over and put her hand of the scanner. The door slid open to reveal a relatively young man (probably in his thirties) holding a boy. All the Titans could see of him was his mop of raven _**(1)**_hair. The rest was covered by the man's cloak.

"Who is he?" Raven asked, not showing any emotion.

"I have no idea!" The man's eyes were nervously looking from her to the jumble in his arms, and back to Raven. "Look, I was driving on my way home when I saw a lump lying in the middle of the road. I didn't exactly _want_ to run it over, so I got out of the car and there was this kid! He has a gash on his head and I'm fairly certain he has a dislocated shoulder. He muttered something about a tower, so I assumed he meant this one! I brought him to the front door and he seemed to recognize the code. The boy typed something in the computer and a stair case appeared going to the roof. So I climbed it! He fainted about the time I got halfway up the steps."

"How was this kid able to get past the codes Robin and I set up?" Cyborg exploded.

"I don't know Cyborg, and frankly, I don't care. I think I know who he is, and if it is who I think it is, it's definitely not good," Raven's voice, which usually had no emotion, held an ounce of worry.

Beast Boy's jaw dropped about a mile. "You _know_ him? Why didn't you say so?"

"I just did," Raven rolled her eyes.

"Friends?" Starfire spoke, jolting the rest of them to remembering she was still there. "Perhaps we should take Raven's friend to the infirmary? I have just examined the boy's injuries and they both are quite red."

The three glanced over at the child now in Starfire's arms (the man apparently had left) and noticed how his left arm just dangled limply at his side and the gash on his forehead did look flame hot red with specks of dried blood; probably infected.

"You're right Star, sorry," Cyborg half-heartedly apologized. He was still upset about a _boy _no older than nine getting past his security.

Starfire cheerfully replied, "Your apology was not necessary, but if it will help with your feelings of guilt, I accept," She floated downstairs. The others followed.

Starfire laid him on the bed, and unfortunately that made his left arm jostle. The young child shrieked and shot straight up. He immediately got a pounding **(Pound? I don't know)** in his head and he looked around at the four Titans staring back at him.

His eyes were what held their gaze for so long. They were an electric blue with midnight blue outlining the irises. Those eyes looked towards Raven and the boy called to her. "Domnisoara Mystique, în cazul în care sunt eu? M-am lovit peste tot, vă rugăm să face durerea sa dispara? "

_(Miss Mystique, where am I? I hurt all over, could you please make the pain go away?)_

"Dude, what language was that?" Beast Boy exclaimed, waving his hands in the air.

"Raven, now would be a really good time to explain. Did he just call you Mystique?" Cyborg expounded.

"Friend Raven, do you understand what he said?" Starfire questioned.

"No, but I'm going to find out. And don't freak out by what I'm going to call him."

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire exchanged looks. Raven turned to the small boy who looked at her with hope filled eyes. She went over to the bed and sat down next to him by name. "Robin," gasps came as she had expected. She brushed his bangs away and started working on the gash. "I need you to speak English. We can't understand you."

_I sure hope he is Robin,_ each Titan simultaneously thought.

The young boy frowned at her. "I will try," His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "My name… is not... Robin…" Raven looked down at her hands. "But mămică calls," his eyes filled with tears suddenly, "_Used_ to call me that," A few tears fell and he furiously wiped them away.

Starfire had heard him change 'calls' to 'used to call', but she didn't think anything of it. "Then what does your mother call you?"

"What is your name, that's what she meant," Cyborg shot her a look.

"R-Richard Gr-Grayson. Everyone… calls me Dick, though," he stuttered. He looked up at Raven. "But Mystique, why… are you here? Shouldn't you still be at… home?"

"I am home Ro-Dick."

He shook his head. "No. You lived with me at the circus!" Beast Boy and Cyborg's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… practically… lived with Mum, Papa, and I. You always… performed… right before us."

The Titans could tell he was having major problems with his words.

"Okay, sorry, I remember now," Raven started shocking the rest of them. "I'm here for a visit. Why are you here Dick?"

Said boy stared into space. "I don't know," He started twisting his fingers into shapes the Titans knew all too well. "I was making cookies with Alfred when there was a flash of… brightness," His eyes flew about the room wildly now and his voice rose in pitch. "And then I was falling! Just like mămică and tata did a year ago in two days!" Tears threatened to fall down his cheeks again. "Apoi m-am lovit- Then I hit the ground and I think my arm exploded! Please Mystique, ajuta-ma!" _(help me)_

"Just calm down Dick," Raven grabbed his left arm and he tried to stifle a yelp of pain. "It's okay, talk to Cyborg or Beast Boy," Raven soothed.

"Man, how did you get into my system?" Cyborg immediately asked.

"Well, I learned to hack into the Pentagon when I six-"

"Dude!"

"-from one of the clowns. His system's password was FlyingG613. Your screen looked exactly like hi-AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dick screamed. Raven had popped his shoulder back into place. Dick rubbed his left shoulder with his right hand. "Mulţumesc, Mystique." _(Thank you, Mystique)_

"English, Dick."

Dick snorted. "You sound like Bruce."

"Bruce?" Starfire was confused. "Who is this man?"

Dick hesitated, "Bruce Wayne took me in. No, he did not… adopt me. I'm his… ward."

Beast Boy's jaw hung open a mile.

"Bruce Wayne is like, the richest man alive, Starfire," Cyborg answered the initial question.

"Nu, doar-" Dick stopped at Raven's stare. "Just in Gotham. Not the world," he stumbled through.

"Dick, let me talk to the group outside for a minute, okay?" Raven asked.

"Promise me you'll come back!"

The empathy looked at him blankly. "All… right. I promise I'll come back."

Dick looked at the girl he thought came from the circus with relief.

Raven grabbed three gawking teens with her powers and glided into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

**1. No, I didn't think about that until later.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Raven, that cannot possibly be Robin," Starfire started.

"But what he did with his hands, no one else could ever do," Cyborg insisted.

Beast Boy was thinking of something else entirely. "Rae, did you really live at the circus with him?"

"No," Raven responded. "I just don't want to freak him out."

There was an awkward silence.

"But what could've happened to make Robin become a kid again?"No one was sure who had asked the question.

"Man, who knew he had such blue eyes?" Cyborg said trying to help ease the tension.

"They were most lovely. If only he would not hide them behind the mask," Starfire said dreamily.

"Maybe he met up with a new villain on the way to Gotham," Raven tried to get back to the original question that still, no one remembered asking.

"But wouldn't we have heard about a new villain from an honorary Titan?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh! I know what happened!" Beast Boy jumped up and down. "Time Warp went into Robin's past and brought him back in order to make him a super-villain."

"Yeah right greenie," Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"Surprisingly," everyone turned to Raven. She continued, "Beast Boy might have actually given me a good idea. For once."

"What is it friend Raven?" Starfire incoherently picked up Silkie and petted his back.

Raven pulled her communicator out of a pocket in her cloak. Everyone gathered around her. No one noticed as Dick snuck out of the infirmary and climbed atop the sign sticking out of the wall that read, "Infirmary"_** (1)**_. He could just see the screen of the communication. He swung legs back and forth slightly.

"Raven calling Robin. Come in Robin."

After a few moments of static, Robin's face appeared on screen.

"I told you guys not to call unless it's an emergency," Robin's eyes were narrowed. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Well, that answers that question," Raven said in monotone.

"Ha! I told you!" Beast Boy jumped, clicking his heels together. Cyborg glared at him and shifted. In doing so, he gave Robin view to the infirmary sign. Robin paled.

"What is wrong friend Robin?" Starfire asked.

"Cum de eşti aici? Ce sa întâmplat?" _(How are you here? What happened?)_In English (and ignoring Raven's penetrating stare) Robin stated flatly, "I think you have a stalker."

The Titan's turned around in time to see Dick back-flip off the sign. Beast Boy let out an "Eeep!" and Starfire went to catch him, but Dick just landed on her shoulders, pushed off, flipped, and landed in a cat-like position in the middle of the hallway. Everyone stared at him.

Robin shrugged on the screen. "What do you expect? He's a professional aerialist."

Dick stood straight. "Ai limba română! În sfârşit! Dar ce sa întâmplat la Mystique? Ea a folosit pentru a înţelege." _(You speak Romanian! Finally! But what happened to Mystique? She used to understand)_

Robin raised an eyebrow at Raven. She turned away, her cheeks heating. "Ei bine, nu e ca ea a avut practică de un an." _(Well, it's not like she's had practice for a year)_

"Deci, ai cunoscut familia mea?" _(So you knew my family?)_

Robin smiled, but it was bitter-sweet. "Da." _(Yes)_

Dick looked at his feet. So did Robin, at least, that's what it looked like, what with his mask and all.

Suddenly, Robin smiled and laughed, "Why you sneaky little…!" The Titans plus Dick stared blankly at him. He gasped, trying to catch his breath, "You've been speaking Romanian this whole time!" He laughed again. "What has Bruce said about that? You've just been adding to the cuteness factor to get on their good side! You learned all those big words by the time you were eight and a half!"

The other teens gaped at Dick, and he blushed. "Guilty as charged," Dick admitted. He frowned. "But how did you know?"

"I met you at one of Bruce's parties, and I heard you using phosphorescent and phenomenal in one sentence," Robin noticed Dick's eyes which were tearing up. "But," Dick looked up, surprised at the now gentleness in Robin's voice, "I can understand why you went back to Romanian. I know it's probably hard for you right now, but try to speak English for them."

"Okay," Dick agreed.

"Um, Robin, what do we do with him?" Beast Boy asked.

"You are kind of the expert," Cyborg said.

Robin looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke. "Well, his clothes aren't in the best condition, let him look through my closet in the morning."

"Pardon?" No one was really sure who asked the question.

Robin laughed. "You'd be surprised at how tall I really am. These boots aren't just made for walking!"

"But, why?" Dick was confused. _Why would I wear something of his?_

Robin caught the look. "Trust me Dick; you will want to wear it once you see it. And if it's too big, there's a sewing machine in my room."

"Why do you have this Machine of Sewing, friend Robin?" Starfire asked.

Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to bite back laughter. They were failing miserably. Robin glared a glare rivaling the Bat Glare. Even though he was all the way in Gotham, you could feel the coldness seeping through the communicator. Beast Boy and Cyborg shut up. "My mother taught me after I kept coming home with my clothes in tatters from working too hard. You honestly think I _threw away_ my costume after what Beast Boy dubbed, Haunted?"

"Were you in the circus?" _Where did that question come from?_ Robin thought.

"…Yes…"

"What… act were you in?" Dick's hesitation wasn't because of the wording this time. You could tell he was nervous.

Robin bit his lip. "… Tight-rope walking."

Raven was about to say something, but the Boy Wonder cut her off with a fake yawn. "Gee I'm tired. Dick, there's a spare room on the next level up. Star, would you take him upstairs?"

Starfire nodded and led Dick away_** (2)**_.

"Why'd you tell him you were with the tight-rope walkers? You were a trapeze artist," Raven asked.

Robin seemingly ignored the comment. "Three rules about little me. One, don't corrupt him," he looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy pointedly, "Two, don't tell him that I'm future him. That's why I lied about my position. I want him to find Batman on his own. Third, don't you **DARE** let him watch The Lion King. It gave me nightmares for weeks," Robin shuddered. "Oh, and Raven, keep on pretending to be Mystique for him. He needs her. Her costume is in my closet. It's the only outfit in there that has a picture pinned to it. I'll be back the morning after tomorrow."

"But-" Beast Boy tried to get a word in, but at that moment the screen went black.

* * *

**1. Yes, it was supposed to be redundant. I didn't do it on accident.**

**2. Just to let you know, I did that on purpose. No offense, but I really have a problem with Starfire.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, just so you all know, I do know that Richard Grayson doesn't exactly come from Romania and that I should be having him speak Romani instead of Romanian. But, unfortunately, I don't have a translator for Romani, so I'm sticking with Romanian. Also, do not think that Mystique is a real character from Grayson's past. I made her up entirely. When I first made up this story a few months ago, I started thinking that I needed Grayson to have a safe haven. So into reality Mystique came.**

**Oh, and by-the-by, Robin and Raven won't be a couple in this particular story. Sorry.**

**Anyhoo, onto the show.**

Chapter 4

The three stood there looking at the blank screen for a moment.

"I call on seeing Raven's costume first!" Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah and ran as fast as he could.

Raven rolled her eyes and Cyborg started counting. "Three… Two… One…"

A screech was heard and Beast Boy came hobbling back, clutching his hand. "Dude! The door shocked me!"

"That's because you don't have the override," Cyborg shook his head, "As a matter of fact, neither do I."

"That's because Robin would be an idiot if he were to give it to either of you," Raven deadpanned as she flew to the other bird's room. She spoke clearly. "Raven R. Override Bird Two," The door slid open silently. "And that only works with me," She said before the two boys could get any ideas.

The boys and girl walked into Robin's room. A place for everything and everything in its place. The bed was really the only real furniture in the room, and even it didn't look like it had ever been slept in. The walls were bare, which in any other room would surely have shown some of the owner's personality.

It was on their minds now, as it had always whenever someone brought up the bedrooms. The thought was, how can someone live in a room devoid of any emotion? Why doesn't the Boy Wonder have any decor that maybe shows a little of his world outside of just being Robin?

Raven opened the closet to see all of Robin's regular attire.

"Where's-"

"There's a secret compartment behind his masks," Raven replied to Cyborg. She moved aside the masks and pressed a button. The floor underneath the three gave way and the two boys shrieked until they hit the floor.

"Owww!" Beast Boy rubbed his head. "Leave it to Robin to booby trap his own bedroom!"

"You're wrong, BB," Cyborg's eyes were wide. "Look behind you."

Raven and Beast Boy turned. This room was much different from the room above. Everything had color. The walls were striped red and white. The bed's covers were black and donned the gray-silver Bat-symbol. Even the pillows, which in most of the Titans rooms were just white, were green and had the yellow Teen Titan's symbol.

Next to the bed was a chest that, when inspected as Beast Boy did so very thoroughly, held normal teen clothes. No masks and no capes.

Right next to the chest was a glass case. In said case was a mannequin wearing the outfit, but the Titans all looked at the picture. It was really easy to see how Dick had mistaken Raven for this... what did he call her... _Mystique_. The cape and leotard were almost identical. The girl's hair was light brown, going to her shoulders, and had purple streaks running through it. Her eyes were a brilliant hazel. The only major differences was that Mystique's clothes were black, not blue, and had silver clasps and purple jewels instead of gold and red.

"Holy cow!" Beast Boy's eyes were just about popped out. He whistled.

Raven glared at him. She grabbed him with her powers and flung him against the wall. "Try to keep your thoughts to yourself," she said dryly. Then she muttered, "He seriously expects me to wear this? Well at least it looks like my normal suit."

"Um... I hate to be the downer, but how do we get it out of the case?" Cyborg asked. "There are no screws that I could take out."

"Simple," Raven went to the side of the case and pressed a barely visible button. The glass sunk into the sides of the wood, leaving the costume free to touch.

Cyborg and Beast Boy's eyes were wide. "Dude! How do you know so much stuff about Rob?"

"Yeah, girl! I know Rob didn't tell us about the secret room _or_ the button!"

Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _They really need to listen. _"Weren't you paying attention to _anything_ Robin said before he left? He told you that when I went into his mind, I saw some memories. Because of that, we have a link that connects our mind."

"So..." Cyborg continued, putting the pieces together, "You asked him mentally where everything in his room was?"

"You condensed it a lot, but yes. Essentially, that's what happened," Raven took the clothing off the mannequin with her powers and folded them carefully. Then she turned to the boys. "Good luck getting out of the room."

"What-" Beast Boy didn't get to finish before all was revealed.

Raven floated with the costume in hand out the trap door and shut the door behind her, leaving Cyborg and Beast Boy stuck in a room that only four people knew about.

As Raven left, she smirked at the situation she had left them in. _That'll teach them to reorganize my room._


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I know my color choice for Robin's secret room might have been a little strange. But there is a method to my madness. The striped walls were the circus. You probably guessed for the pillows and sheets. My method is, a home (the Titans), away from home (Batman), away from home (the circus).**

**For all you writers who write those cooking stories with Robin, this is for all of you.**

**Now let's get on with it before any of you have a heart attack from waiting **_**so**_** long.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Dick woke up the next morning in the spare bedroom. It was . . . nice? The walls were a soft blue, and the bed sheets were a little darker shade. There wasn't really much else in the room though. It was loose and free.

In other words, it wasn't really up to Dick's standards.

Sure, he loved the feeling of being free. It reminded him of his circus days. The feeling of the trapeze bar in his hands and flying. Flying for the crowds that had come to see the Flying Graysons. Flying for his parents. Trying so hard to make them proud.

On the other hand, the trailer his family had lived in was small. Probably three-quarters of this room. And almost every little space was filled in. So being in this _big_, _empty_, room made him feel . . . lonely, he guessed. It made him think of the mansion that Bruce had brought him to. Of course, he liked it, but it was awfully big. No, scratch that. HUGE.

The small boy climbed out of the bed and went to the door. He peeked out. Nope. No one out there. _What time is it anyway?_ he wondered.

As Dick wandered down the halls looking for a clock, he found himself walking into the main room. There was a small kitchen off to the side that he found looked a lot like Alfred's kitchen. Only, you know, smaller.

He smiled, walking into the kitchen and looking for something that remotely resembled a cookbook. He found one, but why it was under the sink was beyond him.

* * *

Four Titans woke up the next morning to something that smelled awfully good. Even Raven thought so.

And that's saying something.

"What is that wonderful smell?" Starfire asked.

"Who's not here?" Cyborg's eyes widened.

"Dick," Beast Boy finished.

They all headed for the kitchen and everyone's mouths (except for Raven whos eyes were just wide)dropped clear to the floor at the sight.

The kitchen was a mess. There was sugar all over the floor, the pot on the stove was boiling over and a boy's hand was sitting in a bowl of water while he tried to do everything with his left hand.

The table across from the table, however was nice. Three glasses filled with an orange substance stood tall with plates of eggs next to them. The fourth glass was filled with what looked like chocolate with a piece of unidentifiable pie on the plate.

Dick was reaching towards the stove. His face was red from holding his breath and trying to reach so far. Finally his hand brushed the pot handle and he grinned. "Got you!" He declared triumphantly. "No way are you getting away from me again!" He brought his right hand out of the water for a moment, bringing the pot off the stove and put it on a hot pad. Dick quickly turned off the burner and sighed, sticking his hand back in the nice, cold water. He then turned slightly, and caught sight of the Titans.

"What on earth happened?" Cyborg stared at the mess.

Dick grinned sheepishly. "I'm making breakfast and I had a little problem keeping the sugar in place."

"Dude! You made eggs?" Beast Boy turned up his nose in slight disgust.

Dick took his hand out of the water again, which the four realized was red, took Beast Boy by the hand and led him to the table. He pointed at the middle plate. "That one's yours. I heard you and Metal Man arguing over tofu and meat last night. I made those eggs out of tofu."

"Sweetness!"

"My name isn't Metal Man, it's Cyborg."

Dick shrugged. "I didn't pick up the names last night."

"Oh! My name is Starfire, this is friend Beast Boy, Cyborg and Ra-" Starfire began before she was cut off.

"You know me. Mystique," Raven pulled down her now black hood. She tugged on the collar a bit. As she had found out last night, the Mystique Dick knew had a slightly smaller build, which was pretty hard to imagine. To 'help out Dick' as Robin had not-quite-like-that prompted, Raven had even taken liberty of dying light brown streaks in her hair, which to Dick would look like brown hair with purple streaks.

The boy smiled at her and led her to the place that had the chocolate drink. He then formally led Starfire and Cyborg to their places.

"Wowzers! What is this stuff?" Beast Boy asked Dick, who had gone back to the kitchen area.

"Orange Julius. _**(1)**_ I add a special ingredient to make it something a little more. Family secret," He smiled.

"It is most wonderful!" Starfire agreed.

"Yours is Chocolate Delight," Dick informed coming to the table, hands full with a bowl, a cup of sugar, and milk. "I remember mămică always making it for you after a show. Sorry if it's not how you remember it."

Raven took a sip. It was warm and tasted like the English truffles _**(2)**_ she had hidden in her room. She let a small smile show. "It's perfect."

Dick smiled back and started to make his breakfast. The Titans watched with interest for a moment. In the bowl he had been carrying was rice. He poured milk into the bowl, obscuring their view of the rice. Then he took a spoon of sugar and lightly shook it equally in all sections of the bowl.

"What is that?" Cyborg looked like he was going to gag.

"Rice, sugar, and milk _**(3)**_," Dick lifted up his spoon and took a mouthful. He swallowed and grinned. "Delicios!" _(Delicious)_

Beast Boy shuddered. "Why don't you have something good? Like the orange stuff?"

Dick frowned. "This is good. As Papa would say, 'Ea are tot ceea ce un copil are nevoie de creştere.' It has everything a growing boy needs, if you need translation. As for the Orange Julius . . ." He laughed. "I've been banned from having more than a cup of sugar a day."

"Banned? What does that mean?" Starfire knew she had heard the word somewhere, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"It means he's not allowed to have any," Raven supplied. "The question is, why?"

"I don't _exactly _know what happens," the nine-year-old took another spoonful of rice. "When I have sugar-rushes, I go . . . what's that word? Hyper! I go berserk apparently. as soon as it's in my body though, I only remember blurry bits and pieces. Bruce had to knock me out with sedative last time," he looked thoughtful for a moment before the look turned into an evil grin. "But when I woke up, Bruce had hot pink hair, and what little hair Alfie has was robin's-egg blue! Plus, all of the walls had Superman insignias on them."

Beast Boy and Cyborg were practically on the floor laughing, and Starfire was giggling. Even Raven had a smile tugging, practically begging to be let loose. What the heck, Dick was even laughing.

It stayed that way for at least half an hour. Whenever they finally quieted down, someone would look at another person, trying to keep a straight face and it would start all over again.

Finally things got calmed down enough that the three that hadn't been assigned to take Dick to the guest bedroom last night remembered what Robin had told them to do.

Get Dick a new wardrobe.

* * *

**There you have it. I don't know about you, but I was laughing hysterically as I was writing this, let alone rereading it for errors.**

**1. Orange Julius is the best drink in the world! Except for moo-juice . . .**

**2. English truffles are to die for. Believe me. They are epically amazing.**

**3. Rice in a bowl with milk and sugar added . . . hmmmm . . . I personally haven't tried it, but the rest of my family has and says it's the best breakfast in the world. I do intend to try it however, and will inform you about it when I do get to trying it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The first line of business Raven had gotten to when the laughing subsided was healing Dick's burned hand. Nope, not with her powers, because that would give the whole charade away. She did it with the aid of pickle juice _**(1)**_. Banning the boys from having anything to do with helping to get Dick clothes was the second.

"But -"

"No."

"Please?"

"Why won't you let them join us, R-Mystique?" Starfire luckily refrained from saying Raven's real name.

"Because they'll be laughing like idiots the whole time. What with the whole, Machine of Sewing thing."

"Ahhh," Starfire didn't _exactly_ get it, but she at least got the gist of things this time.

"And clean up the kitchen. It's a mess," Raven ushered Starfire and Dick out of the room while guffaws and sputters of anger/disbelief were heard trailing her.

Starfire took Dick's hand, who was whistling a tune neither of them knew, and Raven went ahead of them to Robin's room.

"Mystique?"

"Yes?"

"I -" Dick stopped.

"What is it?"

"Acest lucru este atât de jenant," _(This is so embarrasing) _Dick fiddled with the button on his shirt. He purposefully didn't look Raven's way, trying to avoid her raised eyebrow at the Romanian. He breathed out heavily and got it over with. "I like your contacts."

Raven blinked. Her first thoughts were, _Well I certainly didn't expect that, _and, _Dang, I knew I was missing something!_

"But, these are the true color of Mystique's eyes, yes?" No, Raven really couldn't blame Starfire for being her happy, perky self, because it really wasn't her fault that no one had showed her the picture. But that didn't stop her from having a very strong urge to face-palm.

"Really?" Dick looked in awe up at her. "I can't believe you got away with those hazel contacts for so long without mămică noticing. I remember when I tried to put in contacts I had gotten from a friend. She grounded me from doing any performances for a week. Păcat, de asemenea," he murmured. "Au fost astfel de o nuanta de verde frumos." _(Too bad, too. They were such a nice shade of green)_

"Dick."

"Sorry, sorry."

"Friends, why are you walking on? Robin's door is over here," Starfire pointed at the door which was a few feet behind them.

Dick giggled. "Whoopsie-daisy."

Raven gave the override and the door opened up, revealing the same room that was always there. Dick frowned at the lack of color.

"And the closet is . . . where?" Dick asked.

The two girls stared at him. "It's right over there," Raven pointed at the sliding wooden doors.

"Really? Because all I see is a plain room that could very well be used as a place to keep Sitka."

"Sitka? Who is that?" Starfire asked.

"An elephant," Raven supplied.

"There's no color!"

_Seriously? _Raven thought. _He's having a break-down about COLOR?_

"No color means no emotion, and no emotion means no nothing! Just a plain, boring room!"

Starfire laughed. "I do not think you will see the room in quite that way when you look in friend Robin's closet. Many call him the Walking Lights of Traffic."

The boy's eyes widened in anticipation. "Really? Hmm . . ." He went over to the doors and slid them open. His mouth opened and closed like he was some sort of codfish.

"But -" He spluttered. "That's MY costume! The one I was going to use in our last show," He took a costume off the hanger, almost reverently, leaving the belt, mask and boots in the closet. He asked quietly, "Where is the sewing room?"

_Robin, _Raven telepathically called the Boy Wonder. _Where is the sewing room?_

_Huh? Oh, it's just you. I seriously thought for a minute that Scarecrow's gas was getting to my head. Sorry I didn't tell you. It's down in the room beneath mine. I'm guessing in all the excitement you didn't see it?_

_As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Thank you. Anything you'd like me to say to him about the choice in clothing?_

_Mmm-hmm._

After listening to Robin, Raven put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "You know, Robin made his outfit based off of you. He still remembered his time at the circus with us when he left and became Robin."

Dick nodded, unshed tears stinging his eyes. "The sewing room?"

Raven smirked. "Brace yourself," and with that, she pushed the button behind all of the masks, the floor dropping for the second time.

"What is this place?" Starfire gaped alongside Dick.

"Robin's real room."

Dick shook his head and headed over to the old sewing machine. He carefully slid his hand over the smooth surface. "It looks just like . . . " He shook his head again. _No, that's silly. It couldn't possibly be the one that __mămică used._

If only he knew.

The girls watched silently as the boy picked up a seam ripper and carefully pulled out all of the stitches that attatched the cape to the circus costume. He then put the cape in a basket that had several pieces of scrap fabric in it.

Next he took out the sewing scissors and cut off the green sleeves, pinned back the edge of the fraying red sleeves, and hemmed it with the sewing machine. His fingers were nimble and quick, avoiding the needle as it went up and down.

_Finishing touches . . . _Dick's hand went into the scrap basket and came up with some red material. He nodded, measured around his neck, and cut out a strip of fabric with the same measurements. He then proceeded to hem the top of it, and sew the bottom to the rest of the article of clothing.

At last he was finished. Dick, with pins protruding from his mouth, held up the costume and looked it over with a wary eye. Finding that it was okay and nothing was wrong with it, he nodded, folded it up, putting it on the bed. Then he took the pins from his mouth and stuck them in the pincushion. _**(2)**_

Dick grabbed the garb from off the bed. "So," he turned to the girls. "Where did you say the bathroom was?"

* * *

"What is taking them so long?" Cyborg complained as Beast Boy beat him at a video game for the fifth time in a row.

Beast Boy shook his head with sympathy. "I hope he makes it out alive. You know how girls are."

"Actually," their heads snapped up to see Raven and Starfire in the doorway. "Starfire and I had nothing to do with what Dick's wearing."

"No," Starfire agreed. "He did quite wonderfully on his own. His fingers were practically flying."

"You do realize you can come out now, right?" Raven asked, looking back at the doorway. "It's not like they're going to laugh," she sent a glare to the boys.

"I'm not worried about that," Dick called from the hall, tugging at the neck-line. "I just forgot something," and with that he hurried in.

Beast Boy and Cyborg's eyes widened at the sight. Dick was in Robin's costume alright. But there were some major differences. For one, no more belt, mask, sleeves, boots, or cape. The sleeves never changed to green, instead stopping at his shoulders. On the chest there was still the encircled R, however. At his waist the red changed from red to green abruptly, with no splash of gold keeping the complimentary colors from each other. As there were no boots, he was walking around, fabric feet style.

"Nice costume," Cyborg offered.

"One last thing," Dick sat down in a chair, pulling up his foot (without the aid of a hand, as the Titans noticed) to inspect the bottom of it. "The fabric will get shredded and ripped if I continue to go around in only 'tights'. Do you have duck-tape?"

"Sure!" Beast Boy exited the room, coming back seconds later with a roll of the silver-gray tape.

Dick grabbed it, tore off a piece and stuck it on the bottom of his foot. He continued doing so until it was a solid silvery-gray, with no green showing through. Then he did the same with the other foot.

There was a brief silence until Cyborg asked, "So, what now?"

* * *

**That is the question. Honestly, I'm not sure either. When I planned out this story in my head, I didn't actually figure what the team would do with him, I only had what would happen once Robin got there. Real dumb of me, I know. So the next chapter might take a while.**

**1. Thank you to Mishy1 for that. Before you sent in that update, I had almost forgotten that Raven wouldn't be able to use her powers around him, since Mystique never had powers. And even if she did, I can assure you they wouldn't nearly be the same as Raven's.**

**2. I had a bit of help from my mom with this part. I know how to sew, but my mother's been sewing for years, and I figured she knew more about it than me.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry this took so long to get done, but I could not for the life of me figure out what to do with it. And it's really sad because I know what I'm doing for the next chapter! I hate Murphy's Law.**

* * *

Chapter 7

A moment after Cyborg had asked, "So, what now?", Beast Boy had automatically said that they should play video games.

"Typical," Raven muttered, and she turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going, Friend Mystique?" Starfire asked, taking a place on the U-shaped couch.

"I'm getting my book. There is no way on Azarath that I'm playing one of those poor excuses for games."

"What are you reading?" Dick asked, getting up to follow Raven.

" . . . . . . . . . . You don't need to know," was the only response. Raven walking out of the room. They all stared after her, except for one. She sighed, realizing that she had a small shadow trailing behind her.  
"Dick, do you have to follow me _everywhere_?"

His small green feet shifted uncomfortable and he looked anywhere but up at her. He mumbled a response.

"I can't hear you."

His hands that were twisting fell limp at his sides. He breathed out heavily, speaking quietly. "I don't want to be alone." Raven could hear the unspoken ending. _"with people I don't know."_

She kneeled down to be at his level. "Have you ever played a video game before?"

Dick smiled. "Mmm-hmmm. I beat Wally _**(1)**_ all the time when he comes over."

"Then why don't you stay here and kick Cyborg and Beast Boy's butts while I go get my book. I promise I'll only be a few minutes," at his hesitant nod of agreement, Raven stood and walked away, her cape billowing out behind her.

"So," Beast Boy offered a controller to the boy. "Ready to lose?"

Dick smirked. "In your dreams."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later after Dick had won seven times while Beast Boy and Cyborg had only won once each, Dick excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Walking down the halls, he started thinking about that boy, Robin._ He used the pet-name my mother gave me. He must have known us well. But who could he have been? He was in the tight-rope walking act, but that could be a number of boys. There weren't many kids at the circus, but there were a fair few in that act._ He went into the bathroom and closed the door. He went to the mirror and gazed at his reflection.

People had often told him that he had _her_ eyes. That he had _his_ hair and a combination of _their _smiles. He shook his head free of those thoughts, eyes stinging again. _No! Don't think of that! Not when it's so close to that day._

_So who could Robin be? _He quickly counted off the names of the boys he knew. _James, Michael, Toby, Scott, and Xander. He can't be Toby or James, because Robin didn't have brown or blonde hair. And it couldn't be Scott, because he hated us. So that leaves Michael and Xander. If only I knew his eye-color. Or if he dyed his hair. 'Cause Michael's real hair color is red._

Dick sighed, and pulled at the loose strings on his costume. _I can't believe that he would make a super-hero outfit because of me. It just seems . . . impossible. And who knew one of my older friends would become a hero in the first place? I wonder what exactly happened after I left._

Dick looked around the bathroom, finally looking up at the ceiling. His brilliant eyes came to rest upon one thing in particular. His eyes took on a wicked gleam, and a devious smirk, that was slightly maniacal, came to rest on his face.

"Perfect."

* * *

Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing the video game alone, as Starfire had accidently set fire to her controller. Starfire had decided it was better for her to just watch.

"Friends, Dick has been gone for over twenty minutes. Perhaps he got lost?"

"He's probably fine, Star!" Cyborg said, much louder than necessary, due to the loudness of the game.

"Yeah, probably just wandering around. He'll wander back around soon," Beast Boy stuck out his tongue at Cyborg. "Aw man! I can't believe you just won again!"

"There's something off," Raven put down her book and stood.

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked.

"I'm not sure," She walked over to the kitchen area and started making a herself a cup of herbal tea.

All of a sudden a clanging sound came from the vents above their heads. It was a rattling sound, almost like labored breathing with fits of coughing. It was a hideous sound and the three that did not have capes to protect them yelped.

A howling sounded.

"Eeeeeeeeeeek!" Everyone except for the empath shrieked in fear.

Then, the screen vent from the air-vent right above them fell down and landed beside Cyborg with a heavy thud. Dick flipped out of the vent and landed in front of them on the coffee table in the kimshi squat. Everyone was silent, eyes widened to the maximum.

Dick's eyes had a devious look to them, although his mouth was in a tight frown. That quickly changed to an amused smirk. "Boo."

Beast Boy and Cyborg screamed like little girls.

Dick started laughing uncontrollably, hugging his sides. He eventually ended up rolling off the table and onto the floor. "You should've seen your faces!"

"What just happened?" Starfire had a terrified look on her face, mixed with confusion.

Raven tried hard to keep the annoyance at Dick she had at bay. Emphasis on the tried. It still showed. "You all got scared by a childish prank."

Dick was still on the ground, his laughing had subsided a little, but there were still little giggles that would escape him. "Oh come on, Mystique! You know you got scared at least a little! I saw that look on your face!"

"At the most I was surprised," Raven challenged.

"Then why did I see you jump six feet in the air?" Dick asked this question so seriously, he ended up laughing again.

"How on earth did you get into the air-vents?" Cyborg tried to keep his cool.

The boy sat up. "Through the bathroom. I went into Robin's room and found a screwdriver as well as a chair. It's really easy," He suddenly got quiet, looking at his hands. "People say I have my mother's hands. They're small, and fast . . . but not fast enough." _**(2)**_

There was a silence. Then Dick shook his head, a small smile coming to his face. _Why does he constantly put up a shield? _Raven asked herself. _We could help him. Correction, __**I **__could help him since the others don't know what happened to his parents._

Dick's eyes turned to Cyborg and Beast Boy. He grinned, though it didn't reach his eyes. "So, what other games do you two want to fail epically at?"

* * *

**That's all I have for today. Again, sorry it took so long. The next one should be up next week. **

**1. Yes, I brought Wally into the whole thing. No, This is not a story where Young Justice happened first. I just wanted to bring another familiar face into the picture.**

**2. ". . . but not fast enough." That is in reference to the day when his parents died. He couldn't save them. Kind of depressing, but there you have it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Oki-doki. First and only item of business. I did not help create the game, 'Clue', and did not ever help make the movies 'Bambi', 'Lion King', 'Dumbo', or 'Tarzan'.**

* * *

Chapter 8

The rest of the evening went by interestingly enough. Dick continued to beat both of the superhero teens at video games. And when they tried to watch movies, they found out that a lot more than Lion King had been banned.

"You seriously mean you can't watch _Bambi_? That's like, the safest kids movie I've ever seen!" Cyborg said.

Dick shook his head. "A friend of mine said there are some creepy parts in it. Plus, Bruce said no. I asked him why and he went all pale and wouldn't talk for the rest of the night. And I can't watch Tarzan or Dumbo either."

Cyborg and Beast Boy blinked. "Dumbo? Why not that one."

Dick suddenly found his feet very interesting. "Well . . . i grew up in a circus, and I had an elephant friend, Sitka. And I probably wouldn't want to watch it. And I don't like seeing anything getting hurt. My friend told me that the elephants get hurt."

"Oh."

So movies had been ruled out.

"Hey! How about board games?"

"Yeah! We could play Clue now that Rob's not here!"

"No."

"Why not Mystique?"

"I said no!" Raven gestured to Dick, even though the rest still didn't know what was going on. It was getting clearer, however. What with how Dick would freeze up whenever he talked about his parents.

"Why do we not play the game of Hide and Seek? Someone once told me that it was quite an enjoyable children's game."

So they went along with Hide and Seek. Dick had been the seeker first.

Cyborg had been found first. He was trying to squeeze behind the washing machine.

Starfire was next. She had hidden beneath her bed. That evening she found out she was allergic to dust, and her nose was her undoing. As well as the demise of her bed.

Beast Boy was in his bedroom, and it was pretty hard for Dick to find him. But it had only taken him a few minutes to say aloud, much to the amusement of the others, "The bed blanket's breathing!"

Raven took a little longer. She was on the roof. Meditating. Not floating in the air, of course. She was sitting on the ground.

So then Cyborg was the seeker.

Beast Boy had been first. He was trying to sneak a snack in the middle of the game.

Starfire was next. She had somehow managed to get behind the mainstream computer.

Surprisingly, Raven was next. She had simply gone to her bedroom and was lying face-down on the bed. That had been one of the last rooms they had had to check. And let's face it. No one likes to go into Raven's room for fear of getting blasted.

It took them three more hours, by which time it was ten o'clock. Dick had used the air vents once more to his advantage. And the only reason they found him was because of his soft snoring that was carried by the air currents. When they finally got to him, he was curled up into a ball sleeping seemingly soundly.

Raven had taken him and put him to bed at once. That had been two hours ago. It was now midnight. All of the Titans had gone to bed at eleven.

Titans woke to a blood-curdling scream.

And of course it was coming from the guest bedroom.

The four teens raced to the blue room, to see Dick writhing under the covers of his bed, screaming at the top of his lungs in Romanian.

"NU! Ia-mă de mână! Nu! Mămică! Papa! Ridică-te! Ridică-te!" _(NO! Take my hand! No! Mom! Papa! Get up! Get up!)_

"What is happening? Why is he screaming like that?" Starfire had fear and concern in her voice.

Raven rushed over to the boy, leaving the others freaking out behind her. She sat on the bed and pulled Dick into her arms. "Nu! Ele nu pot fi plecat! Nu ma ia de la ei!" _(No! They can't be gone! Don't take me away from them!) _was the response to her act.

She brushed the bangs that were practically plastered onto his forehead away, and started rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm here for you." Dick's eyes snapped open and he wept openly into her cloak and arms. The other teens watched on with wide eyes as Raven continued to talk calmly to him. But that didn't mean that they didn't see the vase in the corner starting to crack.

" Dar ei au plecat şi nu am putea să le salveze! Este vina mea. Toate vina mea," _(But they're gone and I couldn't save them! It's all my fault. All my fault.) _Dick took another shaky breath and buried his head into her cloak.

Raven had just then been going through his mind, trying to pull at some other better memories when she found herself listening to those words. She could practically see them written in English in his head. When she saw what he had said, she pulled her cloak away from him, looked him in the eye and said, "Now you listen to me Richard John Grayson. It is not your fault that they died. Do you hear me? Don't ever blame yourself. It was that monster Tony Zucco's fault. And you know it."

Dick looked down, away from her penatrating stare. " Ştiu," he whispered.

"I know you know," Raven said in a much calmer voice. "But you still need to stop blaming yourself. They wouldn't want you too," she said quietly. There was a silence where she just sat there, rubbing his back. Then she offered hesitantly, "Do you - Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

Dick looked up at her, and the Titans mouths just about dropped off their hinges. He nodded, and snuggled closer.

"Well alright then," Raven picked up the boy and walked out. She went to her room and laid her down in the bed. "I'll be right back, Dick. I just need to tell the others something. Okay?"

"Bine," _(Okay) _She could hear the yawn that came right after it, and her maternal insticts smiled a little. He would be out like a log in two point three seconds.

She went out into the hall where the others were waiting. They didn't even bother asking what had happened.

"The anniversary of Dick's parent's deaths is tomorrow."

Beast Boy turned away. "Oh. That explains a lot."

"But that doesn't explain why you said that he shouldn't blame himself," Cyborg persisted.

Raven mentally sighed. Here came the part that was the worst. "Dick watched his parents die. They fell to their deaths right in front of him. He tried to catch them when they fell, but he couldn't."

Gasps. Horrified gasps. And lots of them. "But who would do such a horrible thing?" Starfire had a hand over her mouth.

"A man named Tony Zucco. He wanted protection money, the circus wouldn't give it to him. He said that their best act would go down because of it. They didn't really pay it any mind. And then the next night came and the best act went down," Raven didn't want to face the looks that were surely on her teammates faces. So she went back into her rooms so that she didn't have to.

* * *

**So, I have gotten that over and done with. Phew. That was kind of really hard to write. **

**Sorry if Raven was off. But I wanted to show her more emotional side in this story.**

**That's all I've got for you today. Please tell me how it was. I've never actually written something quite like this before.**


	9. Chapter 9

**About the last chapter, I know I didn't exactly explain it very well. And I got a few mentions on Raven's supposed maternal instincts. To clear that up, here's my explanation: She's got to have at least a little bit of a motherly side. For the most part, all girls do. Why should Raven be any different? I don't know. That's just how my thought had been running. Hopefully this chapter goes out smoother.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Dick had woken up three more times during the night, but it had been easier to sooth him into going back to sleep afterwards each time now that he was with someone.

Everyone was wide awake at the breakfast table the next morning except for Dick. Beast Boy and Cyborg weren't even fighting over whether to have meat or tofu because of last night. The revelations had come as more than just a wee bit of a shock.

When Dick hadn't come in by noon, they all got a little nervous and Starfire volunteered to go get him. But the doors opened right as she was about to exit them.

Dick looked like a ghost. His skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His magnificent blue eyes had lost their glow, and the way he carried himself told it all.

Dick was so _NOT_ feeling the aster. _**(1)**_

They had found out yesterday that Dick liked to, as they called it, butcher the English language since it wasn't his first. He didn't like all the complicated grammar and sentence rules.

Anyways, Dick walked over like he didn't notice Starfire and the rest of the team calling to him, and plopped himself down on the couch.

"Dude, are you okay?" Beast Boy went over, his tofu forgotten, and put a hesitant hand on the boy's shoulder.

Dick swatted the hand away, suddenly angry. "No. My family just got murdered a year ago today!" The team stared at him as he then promptly burst into tears that he tried to cover with his hands.

Now, you wouldn't think that Beast Boy would be the comforting type, but in this situation he was one of the only ones who really knew what Dick was going through. Sure, Cyborg had lost his mother in the same accident that had made him half electronic, but he still had his father and it had been an _accident_. Beast Boy's parents hadn't died in an accident like Dick's hadn't. It had been murder, and he knew it.

The two girls and one boy found themselves looking on as Beast Boy found himself embracing the shaking figure with a new kind of respect.

Beast Boy found himself doing what he never thought he would. He was comforting someone - practically his best friend - about something that he had experienced. He remembered how hard it was on the first anniversary of his parent's deaths, and somehow knew what Dick needed to hear. He didn't remember afterwards what he had said to Dick, but it must have done him some good because soon after Dick wasn't crying anymore. He just had a severe case of the hiccups.

"S-Sorry," hic "I didn't mean t - " hic " - o y-yell," Dick apologized through his hiccupping.

"It is fine, Friend Dick," Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are going through a difficult time, and it is understandable."

"S-So," hic "what's" hic "f-for brea-" hic "- kfast?" Dick pulled out of Beast Boy's arms and wiped his eyes.

"I think you mean lunch," Raven over to the stove and came back with a cup of hot chocolate. "Here, this will help."

Dick took the cup and basked in the heat for a moment before taking a careful sip. He gave Raven a small smile.

"So - " Cyborg started but stopped as they all heard a familiar rumble coming from below them.

"Friend Robin is home!" Starfire cried and flew out the door. Everyone traded looks and took off after her, including Dick.

_Okay, just make a blind guess. I think he's . . . Michael! _Dick thought as he raced after everyone else.

They all reached the 'garage' and stopped to see Robin. He took off his helmet and Dick stared hard at the mask that kept his eyes hidden.

Robin turned to the huddled group and sighed. "I guess it's pointless to yell, 'I'm home!'. You guys take the fun out of everything. Let me go get changed and then you'll have to introduce me to our guest," He smiled at Dick.

The team gawked at him as he went to 'change'. That was not the reaction they had expected.

He didn't leave them hanging for long though, because soon he was back. His hair still in spikes, but his attire completely different. He had on a green hoodie and almost black jeans on, accompanied by blinding white socks. He stopped in front of them, and then realized there was something wrong.

"Oh, duh!" He smirked and took of his mask to reveal bright green eyes to a very shocked team.

Dick though had a different reaction this time. His eyes widened. His guess had been wrong.

"You're Xander!"

* * *

**Yeah! Robin has arrived! **

**Sorry for the shorter-than-usual chapter. I've having a bit of a writer's block with this story, as the end is coming.**

**1. Yes, I did just make a reference to Young Justice. I don't care that this story isn't a crossover. It needed to be typed, and I couldn't help myself.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_"You're Xander!"_

Robin smiled at Dick. "Sure am, Dickie-Bird. Been awhile since I've seen you."

"Not that long. Only a year," Dick looked down at his feet. Then he muttered something.

Robin held a hand to his ear. "Did I hear something? What was that?"

Dick looked up sheepishly. "I thought you would be Michael."

Robin snorted. "Me? With red hair? Seriously?"

The small boy folded his arms against his chest. "You could have died it!" He defended.

"Um, would someone please explain what is going on?" Cyborg asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Dick looked confused. "But, you live with him, shouldn't you know who he is?"

Robin put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "No, he doesn't. This is my team. You know how Batman has a secret identity?" A nod. "Well, I trained under Bats for years. I have a secret I.D. too, and that means I haven't told them before."

"Oh."

Robin turned to the Titans. "Dick knows me because at the circus, there weren't many kids. The only groups that really had any were the trapeze artists, and the tightrope walkers. Particularly the tightrope walkers," He rolled his eyes. "I swear, they could have made up their own circus."

Dick took over. "There were five kids. Well, actually, there were seven, but the other two were twins, and they were three years old. I figured the only kids he could be were either Xander, Scott, Michael, James, or Toby. He couldn't be James or Toby, because one, they're younger than me, and two, they have brown and blond hair. Not Scott, because he always hated the Flying Graysons."

"Why does that rule him out?" Beast Boy asked.

"Because his mother used to call him Robin. Nobody who hated them could have known about that or would use that as their superhero name otherwise."

"Mmm-hmmm. What he said. Anyways, and I figured that you might possibly be Michael because the roots of your hair seem a little lighter than the rest of it."

"Nice detective work. You want to know the real secret to the hair-root trick?" Robin asked.

The boy nodded his head enthusiastically, and the team leaned in closer as well, wanting to know how Robin was going to continue on this whole big lie.

"I purposefully put a little die at the roots so that if anyone wants to know my secret I.D. and they look at my hair, they'll think I have a different hair color, therefore they won't peg the right person." He let loose a cocky and lopsided grin that made Dick giggle.

"Sunteţi atât de ciudat! Nu-mi amintesc de tine ca fiind vreodată acest lucru. Ai fost întotdeauna atât de serios înainte." _(You are so weird! I don't remember you ever being like this. You were always so serious before.)_

Robin's face went totally slack. Raven pulled out a cassette player that she had hidden in case this had happened _again _and replayed what Dick had said in English so that only the other Titans could hear. Beast Boy snickered.

_Um . . . I can't remember. Did Xander know Romanian? _Robin furiously wracked through his filing cabinets. _**(1)**_

"Oh, sorry. I forgot and accidently slipped," Dick repeated what he had said in English, not knowing that Robin did actually know what he had said.

_Thank goodness he remembered! _Robin let an easy smile slide onto his face. "That's fine, kid. Things change. I -" Robin thought furiously before remembering. "I got a new little sister. Hard not to smile around her." He looked at his nine-year-old counter-part and saw the look that so painfully obviously said: _There's so much that's happened and I haven't been part of any of it._

"But anyways," A sly smirk replaced the smile. "How's it been, living with the townies?"

"Townies?" Cyborg asked.

"Non-circus folk (_**2)**_," Dick automatically shot off. He couldn't help himself. That's what had been practically engraved in his mind since he was old enough to talk. Dick's ears and cheeks then promptly turned bright red and everyone else laughed.

"It's been . . . um, fine, I guess. Different."

"Please tell us, Dick, what is it like, going to the place of learning?" Starfire asked excitedly.

"Oh, school?" Dick's face lit up like a light bulb. "It's genial! Nu e atât de mult să facă şi să înveţe, şi îmi place cel mai mult şi matematica -!" _(brilliant! There's so much to do and learn, and I love math the most! And -)_ Dick accidently slipped into his native tongue in his excitement. Raven raised an eyebrow, but Dick was on a roll and continued. "Papa ar fi iubit camera de ştiinţă. Şi domnul Callahan, pentru ca el ajunge până chestii suflare în fiecare sansa de a ajunge! Este atât de amuzant! " _(Papa would have loved the science room. And Mr. Callahan, 'cause he ends up blowing stuff up every chance he gets! It's so funny!)_

By the end Dick wasn't smiling though. A tear slid down his cheek, and then another, and another. "Este nu doar corect," _(It's just not fair.) _He whispered.

Robin went over and pulled the young boy into a tight embrace. At the moment, he didn't care if Xander didn't know Romanian. Dick needed him, and frankly, he needed Dick. It had been so long since he had let this kind of emotion out with anyone else. Not since he had left Bruce and Alfred. He let a single tear slide down his own face. "Ştiu, nu e corect. Nu este corect deloc. Dar puteţi obţine prin intermediul acestui. Nu vrei să te ia cu ei?" _(I know, it's not fair. Not fair at all. But you can get through this. Do you want me to take you to them?)_

Dick nodded. "Da." _(Yes)_

Robin also nodded, as if he himself had been asked the question. "Well alright then. Titans, we'll be gone for awhile. I'll be taking the small jet I've been working on. Cyborg, you're in charge if any villains show up."

Then Robin led Dick away towards the roof, and they made their way to Gotham City Cemetery.

* * *

**Well. How was that for Chapter 10? Was it as good as you hoped it would be? I hope so. Thanks for those of you who reviewed last time. **

**1. Filing Cabinet. Simple. It means memories. My teacher used to always tell us to go through our 'filing cabinets'.**

**2. "What's a muggle?" "Non-magic folk." Harry Potter reference. I couldn't resist.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The ride to Gotham was quiet, and Robin could tell that Dick was really tired, but wouldn't let himself go to sleep. He could understand the feeling. He hadn't slept at all last night, and still didn't want to.

Normally, it probably would have taken at least five hours to get from the west coast to the east coast of the United States. But Robin had been working on this jet for awhile now, and while he knew it wasn't nearly as fast as the Bat-Wing, it was still fast. At least three-quarters of the Bat-Wing's speed. So it only took them a little less than an hour before they were parked in the Batcave.

Dick didn't see where they were, because he had accidently fallen asleep in the last five minutes of the trip. So all Robin really had to do was make sure Bats wasn't in here, get the kid out, and wake him up so that they could go.

As fate would have it, luck was on Robin's side for today this year, and he didn't have to deal with Batman.

He snuck up into the Manor and walked out the front door, not really sure if Alfred had seen him or not. But he was pretty certain that Alfred had, because Alfred's just awesome like that, and everyone knows it.

Once outside and out of view of the Manor, Robin decided it was time Dick's nap was over for two reasons.

A) He really didn't want people to think he was a kidnapper

and B) He didn't want to have to handle a kid with nightmares.

Okay, so that might sound a little rude, but Robin had problems just handling himself when nightmares occurred, let alone a nine-year-old version of himself who had had this happen only a year ago.

He walked over to a nearby park, setting his counterpart down gently against a tree. He took off the kid's left shoe and sock, grabbed a leaf and started moving it up and down his bare foot. Sure enough, Dick started twitching, twitching led into shaking, and shaking led to his waking up while laughing hysterically.

A lot of kids and their parents sent the pair odd looks, but Robin didn't care. It was a tactic that the real Xander had used to use on him on occasion. Don't ask why. It's embarrassing.

Dick looked up at Robin, who again had his sunglasses on, and stood.

"We're here?"

"Yep."

" . . . . . . . Can we stop at the flower store first?"

Robin gave a small smile and took the younger boy's hand. "Of course."

They walked down the street, and if you were to ask any of the people who saw them, they would say that they were probably brothers. They would talk, and then stop for a moment of silence, and then pick up the pieces.

If only they could have known what was really going on.

When they walked into the flower shop, Dick immediately went to the lily and rose section. Robin watched him as he looked over the flowers and picked two of each that were the most freshly picked and un-damaged. Robin didn't get anything. Dick had chosen what Robin would normally pick, and the only other flower that he would get could not be found in the store.

Up at the desk was a woman. Christine Evans. Miss Evans had worked in the store for an awful long time, and had always been there from the first anniversary. When she looked up from her work to see Dick Grayson, the boy who always came on this date, she was surprised to find herself face to face with Dick - but a much younger Dick.

And then she looked just behind the boy at the oncoming teenager and recognized _him_ as the Dick who always came in. But that was impossible that there were two of them. But they had to be the same, because this small boy had the same gorgeous blue eyes.

She sent the older boy a look, and he returned it with a look that clearly said, "I can't explain now, but I will eventually." So she looked back down and smiled at the small boy who was trying ever so hard to return the smile.

When they left, she sighed heavily. Those poor boys.

* * *

At the graveyard as they walked through the rows and rows of headstones, both boys felt a similar feeling weighing down heavily on their shoulders. It was not quite guilt, and not quite depression, but rather a mix with other emotions added into the concoction.

And when Dick saw his parents graves, he ran the last few feet and then promptly sat down right in front of the headstones. He placed the flowers by the foot of the gleaming marble, and started to talk in half Romanian half English.

Robin turned away from the heart-wrenching sight, not wanting to relive the memories of his first visit to the graves with Bruce. Instead he walked towards an area in the cemetery where there were no tombs and picked a few weeds. The type that were once dandelions, and then he walked back to Dick.

He put one on each of the graves by the other flowers, and then handed one to Dick without looking at him.

"What are these for?"

Robin still didn't look at the boy. He was afraid he would break, and that's the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"Make a wish. For them. To keep them safe."

There was a few moments of silence before Robin saw some of the white seeds floating in the breeze. He then closed his eyes, made his own wish, and released his seeds into the melodic wind.

They stayed there for awhile longer, talking to each other or to the parents they felt for sure were there. Listening to them.

And when they left, Dick was the one to walk through the gate first.

Robin took his time, and spared one last glance at his parent's graves. He whispered three last words that were carried off by the wind before following after Dick.

_I love you._

* * *

**Alright. This chapter by far has been the hardest to write. Even after listening to horribly depressing music (Empty Chairs At Empty Tables & other Les Miserables music) it was hard to write.**

**I would like to know what you, my readers, think about it, if only for the fact that I myself don't know what to think about it at the present moment.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so sorry that I've taken so long to update. It won't (hopefully) take nearly this long for me to do the next chapter. It's just that at first I had no idea how I was going to get from the last chapter to what the next chapter was going to be.**

**I have a song in this chapter called, 'The Last Touch'. It is from the cd, 'Motherhood' and I didn't help write it. I just sing it a lot.**

* * *

Chapter 12

The Titans hadn't known where Robin took his younger self, but they all knew when they came back. Because they all had had their own experiences with death, whether it be by siblings or parents. They knew because when and if they had been to a graveyard, this was how they always came home too. With small smiles on their faces, tear tracks, and wanting to latch onto the person that just happened to be the closest to you.

Which meant that when the two boys came home, they had tear tracks running down their faces, small bitter-sweet smiles, and Dick was practically hanging off of Robin, half-way asleep.

Robin shifted Dick and whispered, "I'm going to lay him down."

They all nodded and he walked in the direction of his room. His team ended up following him for some strange reasons unbeknownst to them all, but when they reached his room they found him sitting on the bed next to his counterpart, running a hand through the younger boy's hair. Robin gestured for them to keep quiet. Raven and Starfire sat down mid-air, Cyborg took the only chair in the room, and Beast Boy, finding no other sitting area available, plopped himself on the floor.

"'Ander?" Dick mumbled.

"Yes, Dickie-bird?" Robin gently moved the boy's bangs out of his eyes.

"Sing to me."

They saw Robin squirm around on the bed for a moment before asking, "What do you want me to sing?"

That one deserved a double-take. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy could not believe what they were hearing. They looked over to see Raven's reaction and found that she had a neutral look.

"I've had him stuck in my head for six months. Don't expect this to strange for me."

They turned back to the bed, eyes widened, where Dick was saying, "The Last Touch."

Robin started rubbing small, slow circles on Dick's back. "I don't know if I even remember all of the words, but if that's what you want, I'll try." The teen cleared his throat.

_"Their first touch at 17 was in the park._

_And the moon was full, she was beautiful to him;_

_And her hair was long and her eyes were blue,_

_And her skin was warm as she turned to him,_

_And he thought that he knew what love was."_

A high-pitched back-up singer came in: _"What love was."_ At which Robin chuckled before continuing with the beautiful, sweet, and sad melody.

_"Another touch at 22 on their wedding night._

_And the stars were bright, she was beautiful to him;_

_And her hair smelled sweet and her lips were full,_

_And her skin was warm as she turned to him,_

_And he thought that he knew what love was."_

_"What love was."_

_"Then again at 25 when the baby came,"_ Robin stopped for a moment and tickled Dick's foot, which got a tired giggle out of the boy. "That was you," He then continued.

_"And the sun was high, she was beautiful to him;_

_And her hair was damp and her fingers shook,_

_And her skin was warm as she turned to him,_

_And he thought that he knew what love was."_

"What wove wa - " yawn " - s." Dick's part came out just spoken.

_"Later on a 54 sitting on the porch._

_All the children grown, she was beautiful to him,"_ again Robin stopped for a half-moment. "I guess you did get siblings like you wanted, Dickie-bird." He went on.

_"And her hair was gray and her forehead lined,_

_And her skin was warm as she turned to him,_

_And he thought that he knew what love was."_

The back-up singer was too tuckered out to sing anymore.

Robin's voice got softer:

_"Their last touch at 85 was by her bed._

_And the moon was full, she was beautiful to him;_

_And her hair was then and her eyes were closed,_

_And her skin was cold as she turned to him,_

_And he knew that he knew what love was."_

Robin took a shaky breath,

_"After 68 years of laughter and tears,_

_He knew, that he knew, what love was."_

He went quiet and continued to stroke the sleeping child's back.

"It's a lovely song," Starfire said.

"Yeah, but why would he ask you to sing that song? It's sweet, but also . . . not quite depressing, but somethin' else all together," Cyborg asked.

"It was something I - we," He corrected himself, " - discovered after our parents died. I mean, I've always known it, but after they passed on, it held so much more meaning. It's what their lives should have been like. And things matched up perfectly too," Robin let a smile slide onto his face. "My mother's eyes were blue, like in the first verse, and she went on her first date with dad when they were seventeen. They got married at twenty-two, and had m - us - at twenty-five."

Raven was about to say something when the Titan's 'Trouble Alarm' went off. Luckily Dick only stirred and turned over. Robin's head was jerked up and he told the others, "Go. Someone needs to stay with Dick, and it might as well be me. Besides, that's probably just Batman from the past coming to get him."

"If you say so," Beast Boy was the first out of the room. He had felt kind of awkward being in there honestly, he hadn't known what to say.

Slowly the rest of the Titans filed out, going to see if there were any villains out, or if Robin was right and it was the legendary Batman.

* * *

**That's chapter 12 for you. If you haven't heard the song, you should. It's got an absolutely beautiful melody, and . . . yeah.**

**So how was it? Was it too . . . I don't know . . . Song-i-ish? I didn't originally intend to put a song in here, but it just sort of . . . popped out.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I am SO sorry this is late! And the sad thing is that I don't really have an excuse except for maybe school starting and Writer's Block.**

**First off, there's a few things I'd like to say (write). **

**One, disclaimers. I make a reference to George of the Jungle, and I will have you know that I did not help make the movie.**

**And a very BIG thanks to Gracie-Geek, who let me use a part of her story, Roots.**

* * *

Chapter 13

The readings on the mainstream computer said that the trouble was . . . well, it didn't say what it was. It only said where it was because the 'what' was way old tech.

Yup. Definitely someone from the past.

The scene was downtown, on the bridge that Killer Moth's moths had tried to, and almost succeeded, eat away at. In fact, it was right _**underneath**_ the bridge that just happened to look like the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The road was actually at its least busiest, probably because people were still at home on April Fool's day, trying to clean up after their child's latest prank.

To get to the bridge quickly, Raven teleported them. She said that they would do it because it would be quicker and definitely easier, but didn't say any more on the matter. Of course, Cyborg and Beast Boy's train of thought went more along the line of, _'You would __**never **__see __**THE **__Batman in a car'_. Obviously they had never heard of the Batmobile. But we're getting off topic. The real reason Raven didn't say anymore was because they would all flip if they knew that this was the very first time that she had actually _tried_ teleporting with more than just herself.

It was rounding four o'clock in the afternoon when the four Titans arrived, a little winded from Raven's teleporting. Needless to say, it hadn't exactly been the most pleasant of trips. At first it had gone smoothly, until they reached further across the city where Raven had temporarily gotten lost, resulting in accidently landing in a different dimension for about a half-second before returning with a snap.

"Friend Raven, please, have you done this before?" Starfire clutched at her stomach, which felt like it was on fire. The boys felt much the same.

Raven pulled the hood over her head. "And that is why I didn't tell you all the information before we left. You wouldn't have gone along with it."

"Dude! So you've never done that before!?" Beast Boy was doubled over, trying not to retch.

"I have."

Cyborg grumbled, "Not with other people I bet," At Raven's dark glare he said, "And that's proof enough."

"Friends," Starfire had gotten a hold of her stomach pains and was now hovering just below the bridge. "I believe that this is the work of Time Warp."

The rest of them went down and saw a golden glowing portal (much like the one that had taken Starfire) closing. In front of it was a man drenched in black who reeked of mysteriousness and a sense that if you were to get on his wrong side, well, let's just say that you wouldn't want to get on his bad side. His cowl with pointed ears was a dead giveaway. He was holding Time Warp by one arm and stopped once he saw the Titans. The whites of his cowl narrowed and the line that served as a mouth scowled, proving the glare was without a doubt there.

The legendary Batman took a careful step back, moving a very beaten up looking Time Warp behind him. He moved with a certain dark grace that the Titan's had never seen before, except in Robin. He walked along the rocky riverbed so silently and with such ease that you would have thought he was barefoot in a carpeted room.

"Who are you?" You could hardly call it a question. It was more a command, and Batman's voice held no emotion whatsoever, so you couldn't tell how he thought about the teenagers.

Raven pulled her hood off, a small smirk in place. "We're going to get along just fine, since you do monotone so well."

Batman looked over her and then turned to Cyborg. "Who are you?" he asked again, this time with a little more force than before that made the boys and Starfire cringe.

"We're the Teen Titans, Mr. Batman, sir!" Beast Boy's hand flew up to a salute, despite himself. It was like meeting Robin all over again for him. Only, on a much different scale.

"Teen Titans?" A hidden eyebrow was quirked undoubtedly.

Raven glided forward. "We're a band of superheroes. You're Batman, you're in our city, you're in the future, and you're looking for one Richard John Grayson."

Batman's eyes narrowed, confirming everything Raven had just 'asked'. "I could be in a different dimension."

Raven mentally rolled her eyes. "I _can _sense your emotions. You know you're not, and we know you're not in a different dimension, seeing as there are presently two Richard John Grayson's in Jump City right now."

There was silence, and Starfire spoke tentatively, "Man of Bats, perhaps friend Raven could take you to see friend Dick and friend Robin, and the three of us," she gestured to herself, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, "could take Time Warp to the House of Jail?"

"Umm, Star, it's just jail," Beast Boy said awkwardly.

Starfire's face turned nearly as red as her hair, and she muttered something in Tamaranian.

Batman was silent for a moment before taking extremely thick rope from his utility belt and tying Time Warp tightly. He gestured for Cyborg to come forward, and once the non-verbal command was done, he gave the ends of the ropes to the half-mechanical teen. "I've taken away his technology. Keep it that way," he turned to Raven, not before seeing Beast Boy change into a pterodactyl.

"He's back at Titans Tower. Our Head-Quarters. With Robin," Raven's eyes glowed black and Batman found himself encircled about in darkness.

"Who's Robin?"

She turned to him, a 'duh' look on her face. "Our leader. Now be quiet. I need to concentrate so I can get us back to the Tower."

* * *

This teleporting trip went much, _**much**_ smoother. There were no snags in the dimensions, and Raven didn't lose the way.

Needless to say, Batman wasn't really impressed by the Tower. When he mentioned under his breath about having it out in the open, Raven glared at him, because she DID hear him and said, "We don't question why Robin does what he does. If you want to question Robin's ways, ask him. But just a little tip: he doesn't like being critiqued."

As they walked across the roof-top and down the stairs into the main room, Batman took everything in. Whoever this 'Robin' was, he had good taste in tech.

There was a swish and Batman turned to see a teenage boy walking through the door. He wore a red tunic with green short sleeves, green pants, green gloves, steel-toed boots, a domino mask, and a black cape with a yellow underbelly. What almost shocked Batman was the golden utility belt that looked just like his. He walked over to them, and spoke to Raven.

"Where are the others?"

"Putting Time Warp in prison. Apparently he was the one who brought Dick here."

Robin nodded. It was obviously the answer he had been expecting. He turned to Batman, his easy expression hardening a little. "Batman," he acknowledged.

"I assume you're Robin," Batman looked him over as Robin nodded. "Bright. And the T-shaped Tower?"

Robin shrugged. "The costume idea wasn't mine," The whites of his mask narrowed. "And don't talk to me about our HQ. I don't see you explaining about why you have a cave. Milking the whole Bat-theme much?" He didn't wait for what was most surely going to be a retort. "Dick is in the spare bedroom. Follow me." With that, he turned, cape billowing out behind him as he left the room. Soon thereafter, Batman and Raven followed suit.

Turning corner around corner Robin finally stopped at one room.

"Robin, this is not Dick's room," Raven folded her arms.

He spun around, as if seeing them for the first time. "I have to put in my contacts, just in case . . . well, you know how he is," The teen fidgeted for a moment before typing in a code and entering his room. "You two go ahead without me. I'll be along in a minute!"

Raven shrugged and continued down the hallway, Batman right behind her.

"Is he always this . . . contemplative?" The much older man didn't want to say anything that could provoke the empath who could probably glare him down, from what he had seen.

"Yes. But if you're referring to the word that you were going to say before, no. He's very cautious around Dick. He has to. Otherwise this whole predicament could go up in flames."

"Why does he have to be so cautious?"

"Because Dick thinks he's his friend. He doesn't know the truth. Robin's pretending to be one Xander Morenci. A boy who lived at the circus. Based off of our Dick Grayson's knowledge. And while we're speaking to Dick, I'm Mystique," She stopped in front of a door, and looked back at him to make sure he understood.

"The woman who used to live with Dick."

"Precisely. And no, I am not pretending because of Dick. When he first arrived he dubbed me Mystique. He really thinks that she's me," the doors slid open. "I'm sure you can manage to stay quiet until Robin returns." There was a nod and both of them slipped inside.

Batman could have sworn he was looking straight at himself when he saw the small child. Dick was curled up on his side on the bed, like he was trying desperately to stay warm. He suddenly turned on his side and muttered a part of a phrase in Romanian.

The man who had taken in this child just months ago wanted nothing more than to go to him and take him home.

But Robin got to him first.

Batman didn't see Robin until he was right in front of Dick. He watched as the walking traffic light pulled off Dick's shoes and socks and tickled his feet. He watched in amusement (not that he let it show) as Dick's soft snores started turning into huffs, which turned into little snuffles of laughter, to bursts, and finally to an awake child laughing.

"X-X-Xa-ander! S-Stop i-it!" He was now trying to get away furiously, messing up the blankets on the bed. Robin huffed and folded his arms against his chest.

"Oh all right. You ruin my fun," Then he let the serious look slide and tapped the end of Dick's nose, making the boy giggle. "But just for you, Dickie-bird."

"Xander," the two boys turned to Raven. She gestured to Batman. Dick's eyes widened.

"Batman!" Dick froze, eyes full of gratefulness, fear, respect, and happiness. He just stared, and finally Robin put a hand on the boy's face, turning it so that the past and future came to meet eye to eye _**(1)**_.

"Dick," Said boy was unresponsive. "Dick," Robin said more forcefully and Dick shook his head.

"Yes?"

"You know Batman, right? Well, he's here to take you home now."

Dick looked like he wanted to protest, but Robin cut him off.

"I need you to be strong for me, alright?"

"I - I don't want to leave you or Mystique," The young aerialist's lip trembled.

Robin gave a breathless laugh. "Hey, this is the future, isn't it? You'll see us again soon."

The boy's face lit up. "Really? Then," he turned to Raven. "It was nice seeing you again." He hopped off the bed and ran over to her. Raven found herself being embraced tightly, and her arms stayed out to the side for awhile, not knowing what to do. But Happiness told her to hug him back, so she let Happiness take control for a moment, and shared that moment with Dick.

When he let go, he said, "I'm going to pass out now _**(2)**_, I'm really tired." The yawn that followed spoke for itself. But before he fell asleep again, he turned to Batman. "Thanks for comin' for me," his speech was kind of slurred. "Min' carin' me ho - " yawn " - ome?"

Batman had to resist smiling at the sight, and he just barely managed to keep a straight face. "No."

A sleepy smile crossed Dick's face before he started, "Goo - " and promptly fell asleep into Raven's waiting arms.

The empath looked over at Robin with a questioning face, and when he nodded at her, Batman knew he was missing something. She walked out of the door, and when it closed, he knew that Robin wanted a word with him.

They stared at each other for awhile before Robin broke the silence. "You're wondering what just happened."

Nod.

Robin put a hand to his temple. "Raven entered my mind at one point. So that she could save me," he turned his face away. "She saw personal memories in my mind, and in doing so created a mind link between us. We can 'talk' to each other."

Batman excepted this. It made sense, but it also only made him curious as to why this teenager would turn away from him of all people when he needed saving. It was something (he thought this thought grudgingly) that everyone needed every once in awhile.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Robin fidgeted for a second, and Batman took that second to ask something else. "What are your powers?"

Robin looked up abruptly, a small smirk on his face. "I'm like you Bats. I don't have any powers. Just my skills."

" . . . And you work with a group of super-powered teens."

"You work with a bunch of super-powered adults. NOT including Green Arrow and the other very few heroes that don't have powers."

" . . . . . . "

Robin ran a hand through his spiked up hair. "What I wanted to talk to you about was Dick. See, I know Dick Grayson. The one from _this _point in the time-line."

"How did you meet him?"

" . . . That's not relevant to what I'm talking about. Point is, he's the one who gave me the costume design," Robin pulled at the 'R'. "He couldn't be the hero, and he knew I wanted to be one, so he gave me the incentive. I wear the colors for him."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "There's something you aren't telling me."

A growl escaped the teen's lips and Batman was shocked. It sounded so much like his own that he almost thought that his future counterpart was there. "Yes, Batman. There are several things I'm not telling you in fact." Robin then set his features back into a relaxed position. "I trained from the best, and I can tell what questions you have simply by knowing and seeing the body movement of a person. And I know you fairly well. Tell me if I get this right:

"You've been curious about how Dick has been so calm since you've seen him, because it's the anniversary. You wanted to know how I knew about Dick, but now you know that so the urge has disappeared in that case. And a few various other questions that I would rather not go into."

Batman stood silent. This _teenager_ had read him almost like an _open book_. Batman was no open book. "Black Canary."

Robin looked at him oddly. "Pardon?"

"Was Black Canary your mentor?"

The teen shook his head, that annoying smirk getting plastered on his face again. "Now Batman. You know I wouldn't want to share any spoilers for the future. Anyhow, you're getting me off topic. The point is that my friend Dick was the one who told me how to handle the little guy. Dick doesn't ever remember getting zapped into the future, but once he say little Dick with his own eyes, he started to remember specific events that happened when he was nine years old. Events that only happened here, in the future. Other than that, he hasn't ever remembered that this occurred, until now. Do you get my drift?"

Batman nodded. "You suggest that I take him to Martian Manhunter and get his memories erased."

Robin nodded back. "Precisely." He then sat down on the bed. "And, one more request. For after he gets his memories wiped." Robin's look said everything. It was definitely dreadfully important that these instructions were followed. "Tell Wayne to take him to Gotham Cemetery. I already took him, but he won't remember it. Besides, Wayne really needs to take him himself. It'll add to the bonding experience." He stood up and walked to the door, not waiting for an answer. Obviously the conversation was over. The door opened and he started walking through, when he stopped and turned back. "Out of curiosity, why did Time Warp send him here?"

Batman wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes as he thought of the reason that Dick had been sent into the future. "Lex Luthor wanted to talk with Bruce Wayne about some matter. But whenever he tried to make an appointment it seems that Wayne was with his ward. So he made arrangements for Wayne's ward to be taken out of the picture for awhile."

Robin scowled. "Stupid Luthor. Can't he tell when he's not wanted? Bruce Wayne is way too good than to be making deals with him." And he stormed out of the room, leaving Batman to wonder what the heck that last statement was about.

* * *

Batman and Dick Grayson were gone. The memory of Batman's confused face was one that Robin would cherish forever on.

It was at that moment that Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire came back.

"Took you long enough," Robin said as he made enough Chocolate Delight for everyone.

"Yeah well, he kept trying to bounce away," Beast Boy said while starting to crack up.

"Yeah! He looked like something from a cartoon the way he bounced a few steps and then crashed on his face!" Cyborg laughed heartily, and soon had Starfire and Robin laughing as well. Raven just hid behind her book, holding back Happiness's laughter.

"Where is friend Dick?" After the laughing Starfire looked around expectantly for the boy she that had grown on her.

"He's gone, Star," Raven said. "He left about twenty minutes ago."

The Tamaranian seemed to wilt a little from the news, but then thought of something. "Friend Robin, you really are friend Dick, but in our present time correct?"

Robin got an uneasy look on his face. " . . . yes . . . "

"May we see the beautiful color of your eyes? It truly is a shame that you hide them behind that strip of fabric."

Robin left the room and came back a few minutes later, a whole new look adorning him. He was once again wearing dark blue jeans, white socks, and this time a yellow T-shirt. His hair was different. Not spiked, but it fell around his face and into his eyes. His eyes. Those deep, seemingly all knowing eyes that was a sea that surfer's would do their meets on, and outlined with the dark of the night.

He smiled a real smile and said, "My name is Richard John Grayson, and it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Wow." They turned at Beast Boy's voice, which had gone up a notch. "It's really weird to hear you talk and look like that."

Robin snapped his fingers. "Speaking of my looks, I've got a plane to catch!" He ran over to Raven, pulling her up from the couch and took her by the hand. "Thanks. For everything. You really are the perfect person to play the role of Mystique." He then ran across the room, flipped a few times, and landed. He then started walking towards the door.

On his hands.

"Um, man, what are you doing?" Cyborg asked.

Robin turned around (on his HANDS) and said, "I've got a Miss Christine Evans to see. I told her that I'd explain this all to her," he cut in before the others could say anything. "And I'll explain to you about Miss Evans after I visit her. Keep the Tower intact while I'm gone! Shouldn't be too long!" Then he walked out of the room (did I mention that it was on his HANDS?) and they heard his hand-steps heading in the direction of the roof. Most likely to the jet.

Starfire spoke, not exactly to anyone in particular. "Dick Grayson is certainly different from friend Robin."

"Not really," Raven shrugged and went back to her book.

"But one thing's for sure," Beast Boy said.

"What's that, Grass-stain?" Cyborg asked.

"I am SO getting his autograph when he gets back!"

* * *

**Okay, so in exchange for the HUGE wait, I gave you the longest chapter I have ever written for this story. Seriously, it was nearly a full eight pages on Word.**

**Anyhoo, onto my little numbers that I left in the writing.**

**1. That is the line I am most proud of in this entire story. I made it up myself, thank you very much, and I likens it lots.**

**2. That is the George of the Jungle quote. Ursula Stanhope says it.**

**Anybody want to guess which part of Roots I used? And Gracie-Greek, this does not include you, because you already know. Of course, you can mention it anyway, but . . . *shrug* Nah, go ahead.**

**I love Beast Boy. That last line was very fun to write, because I was just waiting for a chance to use it.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: There is only one last chapter left. The epilogue. And hopefully it will get out sooner than this one did.**

**Tell me how I did on this chapter please?**


	14. Epilogue

**I know in the last chapter that I said that it was Raven's real first time transporting people . . . She does this in a few episodes that I wasn't aware of . . . for the sake of the story, let's pretend that nothing in the episodes revolving transportation happened . . . Raven, please don't come kill me for this.**

* * *

Epilogue

As Robin drove _way _over the speed limit to get to Gotham city, he thought about what he would say. It had been two years. What do you say to a man who you haven't seen in two years because of a nearly-getting-fired experience? Batman had been silent for the whole two years, even though Robin knew that he knew about the break-in at Wayne Tech and was probably furious/contemplating what the heck would make his ward do it.

Robin shook his head, accidently making the R-Cycle swerve a little. "No, seriously though. What do I say to him?" he muttered. "I mean, I'm going to have to be the one to end this little 'no talking war', because I'm ALWAYS the one who has to end our feuds. Who's the older person in this duo? Well, we're not the OFFICIAL Dynamic Duo anymore, but still!"

After debating it for more or less four hours he finally came up with what he was going to say. He also arrived in the Batcave, the only sight greeting him being Robin, who had somehow managed to find a perch atop the computer screens. He nodded his head approvingly.

"Nice spot, Jay-Bird. Been working on your aerialist and acrobatic moves?" The Robin who was sitting on top of the computers lurched forwards, flailing his arms, trying not to fall. Robin tried not to smirk. But he had to admit, Jason had gotten much better, particularly seeing as when he did fall from the massive screens, he flipped and landed in a crouch. Not quite good enough to land standing yet, but he's getting there.

Jason stood, folding his arms over his chest, and scowled. "Golden Boy. What the he - " He stopped and looked around, obviously looking to see if Alfred or Batman might pop up out of nowhere. " - heck are you doing here?"

Robin sighed, running a hand through his spiked hair while Jason wondered, 'How the heck can he manage to do that when he puts so much of that crappy gel in his hair?'

"I have . . . . issues . . . . to sort out with Bats. Is he around?"

Jason made a sour face. "No. You'll have to wait for when patrol is over."

"And you aren't out there with him . . . . why?"

The second Boy Wonder muttered something under his breath.

"I didn't hear that."

"Oh yeah, 'cause you always have to be in the know-how, don't you, Goldie?" Jason glared at him. "Bats banned me from patrols for a week."

"Again, why?"

"None of your da-darn business!"

"Master Jason, that was too close for my liking. I suggest you find some other words that do not suggest that you are trying to use inappropriate language." The two boys jumped as Alfred materialized behind them.

Jason folded his arms over his chest as he said sarcastically, "Oh? And what do you suggest? Snickerdoodle?"

Alfred chose to ignore that comment. "Master Richard, a pleasure to see you again. Are you here to see Master Bruce?"

Dick shook his head, laughter bubbling inside of him. Oh, how he missed/hated that Alfred always knew everything. "I don't see how you do it, Alfie, I really don't."

Though Alfred could normally stay calm and collected during the emotional tugs that he felt, he had to let his eyes roll this once. "Must you insist on calling me that, Master Richard?"

Dick grinned. "Of course! Everyone's gotta have a nickname, you can't be excluded."

"And Master Bruce?"

There was a brief silence before, "Bats. Or Boss."

Alfred sighed heavily. "Master Jason, I believe Master Bruce's precise words were, 'You are not to do anything remotely related to the Batcave'."

Jason huffed but didn't move.

Dick put a hand on the twelve-year-old's shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "I would probably do what Alfie tells you to do. Believe me, you do what he asks and he might not tell Bruce about it." Jason's eyes widen beneath the mask and he looks up to Dick and then to Alfred, and back to Dick.

"Really?"

"Really really."

Jason took off like a bolt of lightning, hurrying to the elevator that led up to Wayne Manor.

"Jason!"

He stopped just short of the elevator. "What?" he asked in a very annoyed voice.

Dick shook his head. "What's Alfred's rule about going up to the Manor after patrol?"

The pre-teen's cheeks flushed as he muttered something about not being in costume and ran to the changing room.

"What exactly did you tell him, Master Richard?" Alfred had a disapproving look on his face.

Dick started to run after Jason to get changed (Or was that the real reason?). As he ran he called,

"Something that may or may not be true!"

* * *

Later that night, after a heated argument with Jason over a particularly long game of chess, Dick decided that he couldn't wait any longer for Bruce to get home and went upstairs to his bedroom.

As he had expected, it was clean to the very last corner and everything was in its place. Nothing was out of order and nothing had been moved since he had last used it two years ago.

_Good ole' Alfie, _he thought, inspecting the room for anything, _**anything **_that might have been done wrong. He found nothing except that the garbage can was piled high.

"What the . . . " Dick walked over to it and pulled out a few of the crumpled pieces of paper. Once he looked at them he crumpled them back up, tossing them back into the garbage can. He then tied the garbage sack tight, dragged it outside and threw it into the large green garbage can.

Dick then went up to Jason's room (Why did the kid have to choose the attic?), wrote a few notes about NOT using his room as a ranting place and NOT using his paper as an excuse to swear, and went back to his bedroom. He quickly changed into a pair of fleece jammies and climbed into bed, not bothering with the covers.

However, for some odd reason he found himself setting the alarm clock on his nightstand.

* * *

Jump City, over on the west side of the United States, is approximately three and a half hours time difference from Gotham City. So while it was 7:30 over there, it was nearly 11 in Gotham.

Needless to say, Dick wasn't very happy when he was woken up by his communicator.

"Raven calling Robin. Come in Robin."

Dick grumbled, reached over and picked it up, before realizing that he didn't have a mask on. He then dove beneath the bed and came up with a mask and black blanket to make it look like he had a cape on. He slapped on the mask and answered.

He narrowed his eyes, not very amused by the call. "I told you guys not to call unless it's an emergency. I'm kind of in the middle of something." That something might have been sleeping, but hey, who cares at this time of night?

"Well, that answers that question." Robin smirked, oh how he loved Raven's semi-snarky and sarcastic comments. In some ways she actually reminded him quite a bit of Alfred. But he frowned when he saw Raven's own just barely traceable smirk.

_Yes Robin, I can tell you're just wearing a blanket. _

_Curse you, Raven._

He was about to ask what was going on when Beast Boy yelled something precisely at the moment Robin tried to stifle a yawn. He missed what Beast Boy had said, but due to the fact that he was doing a weird sort of victory dance, he probably won a contest. The next thing he saw was Cyborg glaring at the green changling, and shifting a little, giving Robin full view of the Infirmary sign.

Robin could not believe what he was seeing. It was a miniature version of him. It _**had **_to be him. Who else had those eyes? Besides his mother, but this was not a girl. Only one way to really check for sure though.

He must have gone pale or something, because the next thing he knew, Starfire was asking if he was alright. Robin ignored it and went on with the questioning.

"Cum de eşti aici? Ce sa întâmplat?" _(How are you here? What happened?)_Robin promptly ignored Raven's glare (How did he know that she was probably the one who had told little-him to stop speaking Romanian?) and stated flatly, "I think you have a stalker."

This was mostly for his own amusement, because he had always wanted to use that line with Jason. But it worked just as well with the Titans, seeing as they freaked when Dick (he refused to say little-me in his mind 24/7, and technically this was Dick and he was Robin at the present moment) back-flipped off the sign, landed on Starfire's shoulders, flipped once again, and landed in the middle of the walk-way.

Robin found it particularly amusing when even Raven was left gawking at him (although hers didn't show nearly as much). To make sure he was playing the role of their Robin, he didn't laugh out loud, although he desperately wanted to. He simply shrugged and said, "What do you expect? He's a professional aerialist."

Dick stood and said, or rather, cried in relief, "Ai limba română! În sfârşit! Dar ce sa întâmplat la Mystique? Ea a folosit pentru a înţelege." _(You speak Romanian! Finally! But what happened to Mystique? She used to understand)_

Robin quirked an eyebrow up at Raven, and instantly got good blackmail for her. Oh yeah, he saw the way her face got red. But, he could see why Dick would call her Mystique. Honestly, he had noticed the same thing when he first met her; only, he had refrained from asking why she wasn't at the circus. "Ei bine, nu e ca ea a avut practică de un an." _(Well, it's not like she's had practice for a year)_

"Deci, ai cunoscut familia mea?" _(So you knew my family?) _It was scary how the thought process worked, Robin thought. He had been thinking that little him would figure it out as well, and that was the very question that he had pegged Dick for asking.

"Da," was the only answer he had to give. But pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together. Robin looked down at his feet, and thought. At this point it looked like Dick was probably nine. It was most likely his first anniversary. Wowzers. And he was so put out that he had reverted back to their native language. But Raven had given him a look that said he was obviously not trying hard enough to speak English . . . But how was that possi –

That's it! He was eight, not nine! "Why you sneaky little…!" The Titans plus Dick stared blankly at him. He gasped, trying to catch his breath after a burst of laughter, "You've been speaking Romanian this whole time!" He laughed again. "What has Bruce said about that? You've just been adding to the cuteness factor to get on their good side! You learned all those big words by the time you were eight and a half!" Oh this was just too good! Was he really like this when he was younger?

He watched in amusement as the boy blushed furiously and said with a toothy grin, "Guilty as charged," he then frowned in concentration and asked, "But how did you know?"

He was tempted to say, "I know all," but that would make him sound too much like Alfred, and Robin knew he was far from Alfred-Status. So he stumbled off about seeing him at one of Bruce's parties and then made sure that Dick knew that he understood why he went back to Romanian, but also knew that the rest of them didn't know the language and couldn't understand.

The conversation then took it's turn to what they should do with Dick, and he vaguely remembered something about creating a costume when he was nine, so the conversation turned to getting him a new outfit - from Robin's closet.

And then, just to make it better than it already was, Robin was so out of whack from being so tired that he pulled a Batgirl and actually used her line - the one that went "These boots aren't just made for walking", which had actually meant that Batgirl carried lock-pick wires around in the heels of her boots. _**(1)**_

After Dick got that confused look on his face and asked exactly why he would want to wear anything of his, he assured him that he would want to wear it after he saw it. And then he mentioned his mother's sewing machine for if it was too big, and that just blew it.

" Why do you have this Machine of Sewing, friend Robin?"

Robin liked Starfire. He really did. Not _**that **_way, just in that he was protective of her. She had _**red hair**_ after all, just like his mother. But in times like these he just wanted to bang his head against a wall because of her questions.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were trying to bite back laughter. They were failing miserably.

A word to the wise, never get on Robin's bad side when he's sleep-deprived. Because when he's sleep deprived, Robin can give a glare that is even worse than the DaddyBats glare.

Needless to say, Beast Boy and Cyborg shut up in record time.

"My mother taught me after I kept coming home with my clothes in tatters from working too hard. You honestly think I _threw away_ my costume after what Beast Boy dubbed, Haunted?"

"Were you in the circus?" Dick had a hopeful look to his eyes that made Robin wonder where the question had come from.

After a few moments of considering how to answer, he finally replied with a hesitant 'yes'.

"What . . . act were you in?" Ah. So that's where he was going. He recognized Robin. As well he should, seeing as Robin was him.

It didn't register to Robin when he bit his lip so hard that he felt blood. " . . . tight-rope walking." He could see Raven start to say what he knew would be, 'Robin, you most definitely are not a person who does stunts on a slim stretch of rope' and he couldn't let that happen. Dick needed to be under the illusion that he wasn't meeting his older self. He had absolutely no idea why, but since when did any of his thoughts make sense?

So he quickly made a real yawn look like a fake yawn and said, "Gee I'm tired. Dick, there's a spare room on the next level up. Star, would you take him upstairs?" The Tamaranian Princess nodded, taking Dick's hand and leading him down the hall.

"Why'd you tell him you were with the tight-rope walkers? You were a trapeze artist," Raven asked.

Robin didn't answer her directly. "Three rules about little me. One, don't corrupt him," He looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy pointedly. Who knows what those two could do to little him, no matter how mature they acted on occasion. "Two, don't tell him that I'm future him. That's why I lied about my position. I want him to find Batman on his own. Third, don't you **DARE** let him watch The Lion King. It gave me nightmares for weeks," Robin shuddered, memories of the movie filling his head. Sure, he loved the movie, but if he didn't remember to close his eyes for specific parts . . . "Oh, and Raven, keep on pretending to be Mystique for him. He needs her. Her costume is in my closet. It's the only outfit in there that has a picture pinned to it. I'll be back the morning after tomorrow."

Robin heard Beast Boy trying to get a word in, but he didn't care. He only cared about getting sleep at this point. He turned off the communicator, threw off the blanket and mask (remembering to hide them under the bed) and threw himself onto the bed.

He threw himself a little too hard.

He slid all the way to the other side of the bed and landed painfully on the floor.

_Robin, what just happened?_

Robin groaned, rubbing his head as he got back up on the bed (still without bothering with the covers), and responded with, _Forget it Raven, forget it._

* * *

When Dick woke up to his first real morning in Gotham, since two years ago that is, he slammed down on the snooze button on the alarm clock that he had always hated with a fury that was as frightening as Hades'.

It didn't stop ringing.

After approximately four more seconds of its ringing Dick reached out a tired arm, picked it up and slammed it down on the nightstand.

This only caused the possessed clock to beep faster.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . . ."

Four more seconds went by and Dick shot straight up, and pulled the plug to the clock . . . only to find that the clock also had a spare battery, and it continued to ring obnoxiously.

* * *

Jason was walking downstairs from his room in the attic down to the main floor for breakfast when he heard the oddest thing. In fact, it happened as he was walking right by one Richard Grayson's room.

There was what sounded like a battle cry:

"DIE, DIE YOU STUPID CLOCK! YOU'VE WOKEN ME UP TO THAT ANNOYING, EARSPLITTING, OBNOXIOUS TICKING FOR THE LAST TIME!"

Followed by the clock flying out of the door, nearly hitting Jason's head. It whammed into the wall, shattering into large fragments.

Jason's eyes were wide, his mouth hung open slightly, his messy bed-hair standing on edge as he turned abruptly into Dick's room.

The sight that greeted him was Dick, sitting up in bed, tired eyes not entirely focused, a smug smirk settling on his face.

" . . . . Dick?" Jason looked from his older 'brother' to the smashed and now demolished clock lying 'dead' on the floor in the hallway.

The older teenager put a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn, managing to mutter drowsily, "Don't know why Bruce even gave that dumb thing in the first place. Should've gotten rid of it a long time ago," and, those immortal words being said, Dick promptly buried himself back under the covers which Alfred had undoubtedly tucked him into when Bruce had gotten home from patrol.

Jason stood there for a few moments, eyes still going back and forth between the boy and the alarm clock. He finally came to a conclusion.

"He is an absolute idiot of a Golden Boy."

That being said, the second Boy Wonder walked out of the room as if nothing had happened, marched down the stairs, and went to the kitchen as he had originally planned to do.

* * *

About two hours (At nine o'clock, because Dick's reasoning was that he was Dick Grayson right now, not Robin and therefore had a right to sleep in.) later Dick stumbled down the stairs, and into the kitchen, yawning loudly as he opened up the fridge.

"Don't bother Goldie," Dick practically jumped and reached for the nonexistent weapons in his not-around-his-waist utility belt. Jason was leaning against the doorway, arms folded over his chest, as it seemed to be his favored position.

"Alfred made you a coming home Breakfast Cake, 'specially for you. The rest of us already ate. It's in the oven so that it'll stay warm." Jason turned away and walked out. "Oh, and a little tidbit of info. for His Royal First-ness: Bruce left about an hour ago. You'll have to wait for tonight."

Dick's eyes narrowed and he had to resist the urge to swear. "To bad I'll be leaving tonight if I want to make it to Jump tomorrow."

As Dick started to get the ingredients out for Sweet Rice and Orange Julius, he felt strange. He put on a pot of rice and subconsciously started rubbing his right hand. His eyes widened and he looked down, having to forcefully stop himself from rubbing his hand raw.

Funny, it had almost felt like it had been burned . . .

He put away the frozen orange juice for the Orange Julius and pulled out the ingredients for Chocolate Delight instead.

* * *

About an hour after breakfast Dick found himself in the Batcave. Not doing anything in particular, just walking around, remembering the good times. He then found himself turning into a section where memories of Scarecrow come from:

The Batcave's Medical Bay.

Dick walked around the room, remembering several occasions where he had woken up violently from Scarecrow's Fear Gas.

It was right when he was remembering this that Raven spoke.

_Robin, where is the sewing room?_

Dick jerked, suddenly feeling as if he had just woken up from the effects of the horrendous gas. _Huh? Oh, it's just you. I seriously thought for a minute that Scarecrow's gas was getting to my head. _Dick said that out of remembrance, ignoring Raven's mental figure's eyes widen. _Sorry I didn't tell you. It's down in the room beneath mine. I'm guessing in all the excitement you didn't see it?_

_As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Thank you. Anything you'd like me to say to him about the choice in clothing?_

_Mmm-hmmm. Tell him - _Dick cut off. What did he want to say? _Tell him, tell him that the costume was made specifically because I remembered the good times with him at the circus._

Raven mentally nodded, and Dick decided that he needed to get out of the Batcave. Too many unwanted memories.

* * *

At about one o'clock in the afternoon Dick had had enough of Jason. Sure, he was a great little brother on occasion, but this was simply ridiculous! 'Golden Boy' or any variation of the name was grating on his nerves, and if he didn't get out of the house soon he was going to do something he would regret.

Naturally he found himself heading over to the commissioner's house.

He knocked on the door after some hesitance and put on a smile as James Gordon _**(2) **_answered the door.

The commissioner looked a little surprised. This was a young face that he had not seen in quite some time. "Dick. Fancy seeing you here of all days."

The boy's smile slightly faded, and Gordon took in the way he stood on one foot and then on the other, hands behind his back. "Yeah, well, I've always shut myself up around this particular month, and I thought some change might be good . . . "

"You do realize that Barbara is going to be furious." Gordon's eyebrow had risen and he noticed the nervous flare to the boy. That was it. Nervousness. Something he hardly ever saw on the boy, except for when he was so much younger, of course.

"Yep. But who can say no to these eyes?" Dick gave him those famous puppy dog eyes and Gordon almost felt himself melting. Dick grinned up at him and added, "Particularly Babs. She'll be angry at first, but then - BAM!"

The commissioner shook his head as he went inside and gestured for Dick to follow. "And I see that all of that over-seas schooling has done little for your thrill-seeking thoughts."

"Of course not! If anything it makes me more anxious to get back out there, maybe even go back to perform one of these days."

"And I'll be there for you if and when that day comes _**(3)**_," Gordon pointed towards the stairs. "Get on up there then, because I'm not going to break the bomb on her that you've come."

"Asterous," That being said, Dick raced up the stairway.

Once he got up to the landing he slowed his pace and cleared his throat, making it deeper. He walked up to her door and was grateful that she hardly ever let her door stay open. He knocked on the door and called in a voice probably only a hairline from Commissioner Gordon's, "Barbara, I need to speak to you."

Dick heard a flurry of papers and a teenager's voice call out, "Coming, Dad!" He smirked. Was she in for a surprise.

When she opened the door, Dick had a double-take. Barbara's long red hair had been allowed to grow past her shoulders and almost down to her waist. Her gorgeous blue eyes were staring in shock at him and he thought he might have stopped breathing at one point.

Until Barbara punched him in the nose.

Then she promptly hurried to his side on the floor as he hid his nose behind his hand.

"Blimey, Babs! I think you've broken my nose!"

She ran to her room and came back out with a box of tissues, neither noticing her father poking his head up the stairs and then disappearing back down stairs once he decided that it was his daughter after all, and you shouldn't judge her actions. It would all turn out in the end. And if not . . . let's just say it better get better.

"I am so sorry, Dick! It was just sudden and you - you should have warned me!" The red-head had a furious look on her face.

"Sure, and I'm supposed to warn you when I'm having fun pretending to be someone I'm not," Dick chuckled as he held the bloodied tissues to his nose.

She scowled again. "Seriously, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in India, or something?"

"Babs, you know me well enough to know that I wasn't anywhere near India." He sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. She reluctantly sat down. Silence permeated the landing for awhile before Barbara spoke.

"Dick, it's been two years. Two. Years. You didn't even say good-bye. And now you think you can just show up and think things will go back to the way things were?"

He looked down at his hands. "No. Far from it."

Barbara turned to him. "Then what? What did you come here for?"

"Babs," He took her hand in one of his own and started rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb without realizing it. She didn't pull away. "You're my best, best friend in the entire world. Even before the others," She knew he meant the Titans. "You know more about me than anyone, and you've helped me through more situations than almost even Bruce," he held her gaze in his own and gave a sad smile. "Besides, you're right. I didn't say good-bye, and that was completely . . . not right of me. So, being the friend I am, I've vowed to visit you at least once a month for the rest of my life."

Her eyes seemed to harden a little. "Two _years_, Dick."

He frowned. "I know. I've been a complete idiot. You don't have to tell me." He pulled a bunch of CDs out of seemingly nowhere and handed them to her. "I didn't forget though," he whispered, as if ashamed of himself. "I . . . in a sense . . . 'talked' to someone in particular after missions . . . and just hard days. Those are all to you specifically."

The dam that Barbara had been trying to hold up immediately broke at that. She practically shoved him into her room and there began a talk about all the things that had been going on in each other's absence. Dick told her about being Robin with the Titans, and Barbara told him about being Batgirl and working with Batman and Jason as Robin. The conversation lasted well over four hours.

Eventually Dick got to the subject that he had been wanting to come to for awhile.

"Babs . . . Did I ever . . . disappear? When I was younger, I mean. I would've been nine, and about this time of year . . . . "

Barbara gave him a funny look. " . . . Yeah . . . It's not like you'd be likely to forget when your best friend just poofs - " she waved her hands as if doing magic, " - into thin air. What, are you only just remembering?"

He swallowed and said, "I think I know where I went."

Again with the weird look. "Well I obviously hope you should."

The shook his head. "No, you don't get it. I didn't remember any of it. All I really remember was a flash of light, little odd scenes, and then waking up to see Bruce and Alfred. Now, things are finally coming together. At least a little."

Barbara moved behind him, cross-legged on the bed (as Dick was sitting with his feet hanging off the side of the bed), trying to get the gel out of his hair. Her argument was that he looked more ruggedly handsome when his hair hung, and he desperately needed that look if he was going to win some lucky purple-headed-half-demon girl's heart (to which Dick profusely denied any love interest and claimed that they were only really good friends like him and Barbara, while the tips of his ears burned bright red). "Why is it coming back now then? Don't tell me Bats took you to see Martian Manhunter when you got back . . . Oh wait, he did."

"I - I think it's coming back because . . . OW! Geez! Don't tug so hard!"

"Well I wouldn't have to if you didn't put so much in! You were saying?" That last part was said in a much calmer tone.

"Last night I got a call from the team, and I was there. Well, not really me, more like a mini-me. He was exactly like I was when I was nine. I'm positive that that's where I disappeared to when I was younger. I went into the future."

Barbara's eyes were wide, and she momentarily stopped spraying water into his hair. "That's . . . . . . . deep. Tell me more."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks for making me feel like I'm at a therapist's. Not like I've been to enough of those already with how many Bruce tried to put me in when I was younger."

A shrug. "I try."

"Seriously though, I remember specific things. Raven with brown streaks. Beast Boy and Cyborg flipping out like I've never seen them flip before, even Starfire sneezing and her bed practically blowing up. AND I remember someone with spiked black hair who looked surprisingly like me who was called Xander. It all makes sense! I knew Xander at the circus, and . . . . . . . "

"Darn you."

"Pardon?"

" . . . If you saw yourself in the future playing Xander with spiked up hair, you aren't going to need me flattening it out, are you?"

Dick laughed and patted her hand. "Nope. Not this time, sorry. Here, I'll promise that I'll let you take full control over my hair when I come to visit next, alright?"

She gazed over him warily. "Reckon I should trust you?" Barbara shook her head. "Since when have I ever paid any attention to my conscious when you're involved? What the heck, sure."

Dick left the commissioner's house that night feeling assured. He hadn't had his talk with Bruce yet, but that would come. He would make sure of it. He'd also gotten to see family, and they were family, in every way that counted besides blood.

About half-way back to the Manor he suddenly stopped, startling several people into giving him glares as they passed him by. Dick paid them no mind, he had something else that had popped into his head.

_Raven._

There was a mental sigh. _And just as I was finally going to get some tranquility. What do you want? Your younger self is wrecking havoc._

_That's good, that's good._ Obviously Dick wasn't really paying attention. _Hey, would you do me a favor?_

_Depends on the type of favor._

_It's nothing serious! Just in case something happens._

_Just in case of what?_

_Well, it's the anniversary tomorrow . . . And I'm probably going to have nightmares. Little me is not excluded. If that happens, and the others don't really give you much of a choice in the matter, please tell them the story for me._

_. . . . . . What?_

_The story. _Dick quickly ducked into a small store and pretended to browse so as to avoid conflict. _How I became Robin. **Why** I became an orphan and Robin. You know, the story._

_Yes, now I know._

_So will you?_

_Has anyone ever told you that you like to have things done your way all the time?_

_All the time. Will you please answer the question before people start looking at me weirdly because I'll start banging my head against one of these lovely pure bronze doors?_

_As amusing as that sounds . . . Yes, I'll tell them. Why would you assume otherwise?_

He let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't known he was keeping in. _Thanks, Rae._

_. . . .You know I despise that name . . . ._

_Oh, come on. We all call you it enough that you're warming up to it by now._

_Get lost. And get going before someone sees you. And you're welcome._

Dick smiled, paid for a few English truffles and left the shop, continuing on his way to Wayne Manor.

Now he only had to worry about one thing as he prepared himself for the trip _**back **_to Jump City, California.

What the heck had happened?

* * *

**That's all folks! Seriously. This is the end . . . . . . You know, this was my very first story? It was my first, original plot-line . . . . Let's move on before I start getting emotional.**

**Ha ha. Bet I had you fooled with that beginning, huh? I'll bet you thought it was Dick from the last chapter going to see Christine, huh? Mua ha ha ha! Wowzers that was weird.**

**Thanks for everyone's help! I can now say that the majority of mistakes have been cleaned up in all of the other chapters! Yay! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited, or anything else I have failed to mention! It has been a pleasure entertaining you with my strange imagination!**

**To the numbers:**

**1. That really is a direct quote from Batgirl. It's in an episode of an animated version of Batman. Can't tell you which off the tip of my tongue, but *shrug* oh well.**

**2. I did look up the first name, thank you very much. **

**3. I think Gordon had a bit of a soft spot for him. Personally. Feel free to disagree with me.**

**I can say that I have had a remarkably fun time with this chapter. I loved writing Jason, and Alfred, and Babs . . . Not so much Babs, and much more Jason. He's such an annoying little sarcastic child! I love playing with his head. Probably why I have other stories planned out for him . . . . . **

**So, thanks for all of the support, and I hope you've enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment on this last (LONGEST CHAPTER EVER!) chapter!**


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